Reversing the downward trend in men's share of contraceptive use

Abstract

Five years after the International Conference on Population and Development which had reached the consensus that men do not adequately share responsibility for family planning with women, the proportion of contraceptive prevalence attributed to men has fallen to 26 per cent down from 31 per cent in 1994 and 37 per cent in 1987. This gender imbalance in contraceptive responsibility is occurring in a context of rapid growth in the population of reproductive age who need family planning, and of 16,000 new HIV infections daily. Meeting the enormous demand for reproductive health services requires that service delivery systems maximise the potential for use of male methods. This paper explores why use of male methods has fallen, and provides some programmatic examples of how to promote male methods successfully. In the period of time before new reversible methods for men become available, service delivery systems should be strengthened so that they are effective in reaching men both as users of male methods and as supportive partners. Gender equity will be enhanced when both men and women are provided with unbiased information about the full range of options for contraception and STDIHIV prevention and their appropriate use.