Should reproductive health care programmes make more efforts to include men? Efforts to involve men are often based on perceptions of men as bad fathers or as sexually irresponsible. How best can such negative stereotypes about men’s behaviour be overcome?

International family planning and reproductive health programmes for many years have focused on women. Men are seen as less important to family planning than women and as barriers to women’s reproductive health and effective family planning. Research and programmes have together reinforced a limited view of gender roles, constraining the ways men are treated by reproductive health interventions. Main findings include:

• Since men have been of little interest to the family planning field for so long, views of their behaviour and preferences are limited and distorted.
• Gender stereotypes continue to structure reproductive health programmes. Men are seen as: uninformed and irresponsible with regard to fertility control; as blocking women’s contraceptive use; sexually promiscuous; and under-investing in their children.
• The same programmes that have attemtped to empower women are less bold about recruiting men in support of gender equity.
• Far from providing an objective backdrop to reproductive health programmes, research has reflected many of the same stereotypes about men and women.
• There is a need to think of more creative ways to recruit men in reducing gender inequity and improving their health and that of their partners.
• The bias towards a western notion of the family in reproductive health research has perpetuated stereotypical assumptions about men’s roles.

Reproductive health reflects a dynamic system of social and sexual relationships. Clients and providers do not exist in a social vacuum and programmes must question relationships that detract from good health. Policy implications include:

• Any programme wanting to involve men needs to articulate its reasons for doing so to determine what kind of approach should be chosen.
• Programmes should be more aware of the impact of their intervention on gender relations. Those based on stereotypes about men’s and women’s behaviour can reinforce gender inequality.
• More research on men and reproductive health is needed, but programmes should not wait to restructure their work. Reproductive health programmes can play an important role in eroding gender inequities and improving the health of both men and women.
• Population stabilistion efforts must move beyond the narrow focus on family planning. Reproductive health programmes that acknowledge the broader social context contribute in important ways to overall development.

Source(s):
'Changing women and avoiding men: gender stereotypes and reproductive health programmes' IDS Bulletin Volume 31/2 by Margaret E. Greene, 2000

Funded by: Gernal support from the Centre for Health and Gender Equity

id21 Research Highlight: 21 December 2001

Further Information:
Margaret Greene
Population Action International
1300 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
USA

Tel: +1 (202) 557 3404
Fax: +1 (202) 728 4177
Contact the contributor: Mgreene@popact.org

Population Action International

Other related links:
'A man amongst men: can male gender trainers tip the balance?'

'Men-streaming gender? Understanding marginalisation of men'

'Not just "women" - better gender analysis for health sector programme support'

More Gendering Men and Reproductive Health Links

PATH focuses on Men’s Involvement in Reproductive Health

UNFPA provides resources on men and reproductive and sexual health

See also the Institute for Reproductive Health