To browse Academia. This qualitative study explored men's perspectives of gender roles and cultural norms as they pertain to family planning.
Twelve small group meetings were held with married men in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Shifting gender relations made the definitions of manhood more tenuous than ever. Men's previous identities as sole breadwinners, which gave them significant control over decision-making, were being undermined by women's increasing labour force participation.
While many men viewed family planning positively, fears that family planning would lead to more female sexual agency and promiscuity or that male roles would be further jeopardised were widespread and were major deterrents to male family planning approval. By addressing such fears, gender-sensitive programmes could help more men to accept family planning.
Increased family planning education for men is needed to dispel misconceptions regarding family planning side-effects. Focusing on the advantages of family planning, namely financial benefits and reduced conflict among couples, could resonate with men. Community leaders, outreach workers and healthcare providers could help shift men's approval of joint decisionmaking around family size to other reproductive domains, such as family planning use. Background: Men have rarely been involved in either receiving or providing information on sexuality, reproductive health or birth spacing.
They have also been ignored or excluded in one way or the other from participating in many family planning programmes as family planning is viewed as a woman's affair. Aim: To describe the perceptions of family planning among low-income men in Western Kenya. Methods: A qualitative study using focus group interviews and content analysis was conducted, with 64 men aged years participating actively. Findings: Perceptions of family planning were manifold. For example, some perceived it as meaning having the number of children one is able to provide for.
