Male engagement in family planning (FP) improves reproductive health and gender outcomes.* In many settings, men play a dominant role in decisions such as family size and the use of contraceptives. Men’s critical role in FP decisions makes it important to include them in FP programming. Programs engaging men can enhance spousal communication, improve gender-equitable attitudes, and increase FP use.**
Male engagement is defined as the process of enabling men and boys to engage positively around FP with their female partners, families, and communities. This engagement expands equitable roles for men and women in making FP decisions, promotes women’s FP autonomy, challenges unequal power dynamics, and transforms harmful gender norms (e.g., that only men make decisions and hold power).
Male engagement promotes men’s and boy’s roles as users of contraception, supportive partners, and agents of community and social change:
Users of male-controlled and male-cooperative contraceptive methods (e.g., condoms, vasectomy, Standard Days Method)
Supportive partners for women to discuss, access and use modern FP methods
Agents of change within their community to challenge barriers and socio-cultural norms that prevent women, men, and couples from using modern FP methods
Men and boys have unique needs and preferences for accessing reproductive health information and services. Directly engaging men in FP can address their concerns about contraception that would otherwise hinder their use of, or support for, FP. Male engagement needs a holistic approach – one that considers the role of women, men, and the couple.
In this Trending Topic, we provide selected tools and project materials created for improving male engagement in FP. If you would like to share your own resources, please send an email to info@thehealthcompass.org.
*Rottach, E., Schuler, S. R., & Hardee, K. (2009). Gender perspectives improve reproductive health outcomes: new evidence.
**Lundgren, R., Cachan, J., & Jennings, V. (2012). Engaging men in family planning services delivery: experiences introducing the Standard Days Method® in four countries. World health & population, 14(1), 44-51.
JOURNAL ARTICLES & REPORTS
Male Engagement in Family Planning: Reducing Unmet Need for Family Planning by Addressing Gender Norms: This paper was developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University, with funding from USAID. It identifies critical elements of involving men in family planning, with considerations for adaptability and sustainability. Based on a preliminary review of initiatives to engage men in sexual and reproductive health programs; the subsequent technical consultation to define male engagement practices, discuss evaluation of male engagement programs, and consider feasibility of scaling up successful approaches; and a case study of four interventions which used gender transformative approaches to engage men in family planning programs, this paper lays the groundwork for engaging men through gender transformative programming.
Men as Contraceptive Users: Programs, Outcomes and Recommendations: This paper reviews 47 current activities, programs and evidence that affect men’s use of contraceptive methods. The review draws from published and grey literature, as well as from interviews with organizations and institutions, which focused on men as users of contraception in low- and middle-income countries. The review includes three methods that men use directly (condoms, vasectomy, and withdrawal) and one that requires their direct cooperation (the Standard Days Method).
Bietsch, K. E. (2015). Men’s attitudes towards contraception in sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 19(3), 41-54.
Char, A. (2011). Male involvement in family planning and reproductive health in rural central India. Tampere University Press.
Edström, J., Hassink, A., Shahrokh, T., & Stern, E. (2015). Engendering Men: A collaborative review of evidence on men and boys in social change and gender equality.
Ezeanolue, E. E., et al. (2015). Impact of male partner’s awareness and support for contraceptives on female intent to use contraceptives in southeast Nigeria. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 879.
Greene, M. E., & Merrick, T. (2015). The case for investing in research to increase access to and use of contraception among adolescents.
Hardee, K., Croce-Galis, M., & Gay, J. (2017). Are men well served by family planning programs?. Reproductive Health, 14(1), 14.
Hartmann, et al. (2012). Changes in couples’ communication as a result of a male-involvement family planning intervention. Journal of Health Communication, 17(7), 802-819.
Lundgren, R., et al. (2012). Engaging men in family planning services delivery: experiences introducing the Standard Days Method® in four countries. World Health and Population, 14(1), 44-51.
Ringheim, K., et al. (2009). Engaging men for gender equality and improved reproductive health. Population Reference Bureau.
Rottach, E., et al. (2009). Gender perspectives improve reproductive health outcomes: new evidence. Population Reference Bureau.
Trussell, J., et al. (2009). Cost-effectiveness of contraceptives in the United States. Contraception, 79(1), 5-14.
Banner photo: © 2016 Riccardo Gangale/VectorWorks, Courtesy of Photoshare
