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  • Male Engagement in Family Planning

Male Engagement in Family Planning

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:

  1. Users of male-controlled and male-cooperative contraceptive methods (e.g., condoms, vasectomy, Standard Days Method)

  2. Supportive partners for women to discuss, access and use modern FP methods

  3. 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


Resources

  • Tools
  • Examples

Advancing Male Engagement in Family Planning and Reproductive Health: An Advocacy Tool

This tool provides an advocacy implementation plan template that helps users identify priority FP/RH decision-makers, assess their current level of familiarity with or support for male engagement, and tailor a unique advocacy goal and approach based on that decision maker’s specific priorities and spheres of influence.

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Essential Considerations for Engaging Men and Boys for Improved Family Planning Outcomes

This resource provides a rationale for why men and boys should be engaged in FP efforts in cooperative ways that improve FP/RH outcomes and facilitate women and girls’ agency.

Download

Men as More than Partners: Increasing Men’s Use of Sexual and Reproductive Health Products and Services through SBCC

This webinar was held on June 21, 2017 and featured presentations on social and behavior change communication (SBCC) interventions designed to successfully increase men’s demand for and use of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) products and services.

View Resource

Engaging Men and Boys in Gender Equality and Health Toolkit

Promundo and MenEngage Alliance with support from UNFPA produced this Toolkit that addresses strategies and lessons learned for Engaging Men and Boys in diverse themes such as Sexual and Reproductive Health; Maternal, Newborn and Child Health; Fatherhood; HIV and AIDS; Gender-based Violence; Advocacy and Policy, as well as addressing issues around Monitoring and Evaluation of this work.

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Rapid Knowledge, Practices and Coverage (KPC) Survey Gender Module

The Knowledge, Practice and Coverage survey tool (KPC) is designed to be used for rapid small population household surveys for integrated programs that are linked to communities. It is a flexible tool that allows for surveys to be tailored to various technical areas and combination of areas, while maintaining standards for collection of information for specific interventions.

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Engaging Men at the Community Level [Manual]

This interactive manual offers master trainers approaches for working with community-based health outreach workers, and offers gender activists a means to mobilize community members to take action related to HIV, AIDS and gender.

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Engaging Men and Boys in Family Planning: A Strategic Planning Guide

This document is intended to lead program managers, planners, and decision-makers through a strategic process to identify effective investments for engaging men in efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health.

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Men as Contraceptive Users and Family Planning Clients

This infographic presents a snapshot of modern male-controlled and cooperative contraceptive method use around the world and highlights data that identify opportunities to engage more adolescent boys and men as contraceptive users and family planning clients.

 

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Engaging Men and Boys: A Brief Summary of UNFPA Experience and Lessons Learned

This report aims to support the work of UNFPA and partners by presenting a background and rationale for engaging men and boys.

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Family Planning and Reproductive Health Indicators Database: Male Engagement in Reproductive Health Programs

This database features nine core indicators to monitor and evaluate male engagement in reproductive health, focusing primarily on men’s beliefs and behaviors.

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Gender and Social and Behavior Change Communication Implementation Kit

The Gender and Social and Behavior Change Communication Implementation Kit (I-Kit) provides a step-by-step approach to integrate gender into an existing SBCC strategy or marketing plan.

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Gender Integration Continuum Training Session User's Guide

The Gender Integration Continuum Training Session User’s Guide is a tool to help new and experienced gender trainers plan, prepare for, and facilitate the Gender Integration Continuum training session.

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Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Package for Adolescent Men and Boys

This tool was developed to support providers of sexual and reproductive health services. It aims to increase the range and quality of sexual and reproductive services provided that meet the specific and diverse needs of men and adolescents boys.

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Guide for Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health Products and Services for Men

The Guide for Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health Products and Services for Men focuses on meaningfully engaging men and creating an enabling environment to increase men’s use of SRH products and services. Drawing on lessons learned from the promotion of male condoms, vasectomy, voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), HIV testing services (HTS) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, the guide provides guidance, resources and examples of approaches that have increased men’s use of SRH products and services in a variety of settings.
Download

Birth Spacing and Family Welfare Sermons

This booklet, written in French, Hausa, and Arabic, was developed by Transform/PHARE to support the Sarari intervention. It provides guidance to those delivering sermons on how to incorporate themes about many family welfare topics.

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Partners in Progress: Innovating to Improve and Increase Male Engagement in Family Planning

Burkina
Cote d'Ivoire

To promote male engagement (ME) in family planning in Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, the Transform/PHARE project developed and piloted innovative approaches, including a Human Centered Design (HCD) project in Côte d'Ivoire focusing on men in the informal employment sector and an innovation lab in Burkina Faso aimed at increasing ME in FP.

View Resource

Niger Male Segmentation Analysis

Niger

Cette recherche n'a pas été réalisée dans l'ordre Identifier les segments masculins au Niger qui étaient les plus susceptibles de changer leurs attitudes et comportements envers la PF, et fournir des principes de haut niveau pour la conception et la mise en œuvre d'interventions ciblant ces segments.

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Implication des jeunes hommes du secteur informel dans la PF en utilisant un design centré sur l'homme en Côte d'Ivoire/ Engaging young men from the informal sector in FP using human centered design in Cote d'Ivoire

La recherche participative se concentre sur les jeunes hommes âgés de 15 à 24 ans travaillant dans le secteur informel dans deux quartiers d'Abidjan, ainsi que leurs partenaires, parents, patrons, leaders communautaires et autres influenceurs directs ou indirects.

Download

Didier: Engaging Young Men in the Informal Sector - Emerging Learning

Cote d'Ivoire

IDEO.org partnered with PSI to apply human-centered design to engage and promote the dialogue among young men working in the informal sector and their partners about contraception and family planning.

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A More Equal Future: Manual to Engage Fathers to Prevent Child Marriage in India

India

This manual was developed as part of a collaboration between World Vision and Promundo in response to harmful societal and cultural practices that support the continuation of child marriage in India.

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Male Engagement "Heat Map"

Burkina

This chart was created as part of the Transform/PHARE project in Burkina Faso and maps the existing male engagement interventions in the country for unmarried, recently married, and experienced married men according to their role as clients, partners, and agents of change.

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Implication des leaders religieux à travers une conception centrée sur l'humain au Niger/ Engaging Religious Leaders through Human Centered Design in Niger

A partir de la recherche ethnographique et participative, Transform / PHARE a cherché à découvrir les points de vue et les connaissances des jeunes et des chefs religieux sur les produits et services de santé reproductive dans trois départements et neuf villages de la région de Zinder.

Download

Innovations Lab in Burkina Faso/ Laboratoire des innovations au Burkina Faso

Burkina

Un atelier participatif de quatre jours («Innovation Lab») utilisant les principes d'inspiration et d'idéation HCD et avec la participation de participants non traditionnels (entrepreneurs, musiciens, comédiens), cinq équipes ont identifié des interventions pour augmenter l'engagement masculin dans la PF.

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Fathers Contribute to Healthy Families - Pamphlet

Nigeria

This handbill/pamphlet developed in Nigeria provides information on how men can participate in their family’s health and support their wives/partners.

 

It outlines how they can help during:

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Fathers Contribute to Healthy Families [Posters]

Nigeria

These 5 posters developed in Nigeria provide information on how men can participate in their family’s health and support their wives/partners during pre-pregnancy and pregnancy as well as during labor and delivery, postnatal care, infancy and childhood.

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Male Engagement in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH)

Nigeria

This job aid was developed in Nigeria  to provide information on how men can participate in their family’s health and support their wives/partners during various phases of pregnancy, labor, and infancy/childhood.

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Jvani Cabiness
Erin Portillo

This website is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Breakthrough-ACTION Project, supported by USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, under Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-17-00017 with the Johns Hopkins University.

Breakthrough-ACTION is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs (JHU∙CCP). The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of JHU∙CCP. The information provided on this website is not official U.S. Government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of USAID, the United States Government, or The Johns Hopkins University.

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