Male involvement in reproductive health care

The programme of action globally endorsed at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) emphasised the need for equity in gender relations with a special focus on men's shared responsibility and active involvement to promote reproductive and sexual health. If men are brought into a wide range of reproductive health services in such a way that they are supported as equal partners and responsible parents, as well as clients in their own right, better outcomes are expected in reproductive health indicators such as contraception acceptance and continuation, safer sexual behaviours, use of reproductive health services, and reduction in reproductive morbidity and mortality. This paper focuses on these key questions. What does men's involvement mean and how should it be operationalised? What does shared responsibility mean for various reproductive health problems subsumed within the reproductive health framework? Programmes to involve men should be designed to address three major goals: (1) Improve sexual and reproductive health of men and women, (2) generate men's support for women's actions related to reproduction and respect for women's reproductive and sexual rights, and (3) promote responsible and healthy reproductive and sexual behaviour in young men and boys. Gender inequality is a major barrier that must be overcome if these goals are to be met. Improving the reproductive well-being of women and men requires freeing them both from restricted gender roles.