WUNRN
Gender Transformative Ways to Involve Men in Family Planning Programs
November 6, 2014 | |
Elizabeth Salazar, Program Officer | IRH
Family
planning programs are often directed toward women. They usually give little
attention to the way that traditional gender norms—societal and cultural
expectations of what it means to be a man or a woman—impact modern method use.
But gender norms affect couples’ ability to discuss and make informed decisions
about family planning and can influence access to information and services.
Also, gender-related power dynamics often mean that men have greater say in
whether and when sex occurs and if a family planning method is used.
As
a result of our better understanding of the influence of gender on family
planning, there is a growing recognition that programs aimed at both men and
women are more effective than those aimed solely at women and that positive
male engagement interventions can improve partner communication and bring about
more gender-equitable attitudes.
Getting
the lay of the land
Recently,
IRH launched an initiative to learn about the essential elements needed
for implementing gender transformative male engagement in family planning
programs. This initiative began with a program review of recent interventions that have deliberately
involved men in sexual and reproductive health. The analysis revealed that
despite the rich and varied experiences of involving men in sexual and
reproductive health, evidence is lacking on what qualifies as promising practices
for engaging men.
Let’s
talk about it
To
renew interest and discuss the evidence around male involvement, IRH convened a
technical consultation of researchers and practitioners. Participants shared
their experiences and discussed results of the approaches used in their
programs. A major theme of the discussion was gender-transformative
programming. The World Health Organization defines gender-transformative
programming as: “Programs which aim to transform gender roles and
promote more gender-equitable relationships between men and women. They
seek to critically reflect about, question or change institutional practices
and broader social norms that create and reinforce gender inequality and
vulnerability for men and women.”
A
deep dive
IRH
then dove deep into gender-transformative programming by conducting a cross-case analysis of four family planning initiatives across
eight countries. This analysis discussed implementation experiences and results
and identified essential intervention elements to be considered when defining
emerging best practices for engaging men in family planning. A consistent theme
was that successful programs addressed underlying gender norms and existing
power imbalances between men and women.
Where
are we now
Increasingly,
the sexual and reproductive health community is recognizing that programs must
address underlying social (including gender) norms in order to achieve
widespread, lasting change.
For
programs desiring a gender transformative approach to family planning, keep
these essential elements in mind:
1.
Provide a ‘comfort zone’ for men to discuss family planning and
sexual and reproductive health
2.
Foster a sense of shared responsibility for family planning
3.
Promote couple communication
4.
Create opportunities to redefine inequitable gender norms
related to family planning
5.
Offer family planning services in the community
6.
Provide models of positive male behavior and positive
consequences of engagement
7.
Create male-targeted, positive messaging
8.
Focus on both men and women
Results
of this initiative were presented at the 2nd
MenEngage Global Symposium in New Delhi, India in November 2014. See our poster
here and join the ongoing conversation at #MenEngageDelhi @MenEngage.
Learn
more
If
you want more information about designing gender-transformative programs and
examples of male engagement interventions:
Literature
Review: From Family Planning to Fatherhood: Analysis of Recent Male Involvement
Initiatives and Scale-up Potential
Peer-Reviewed: Engaging Men in Family Planning Service Delivery: Experiences Introducing
the Standard Days Method® (SDM) in Four Countries