Men's perceptions of child-bearing and fertility control in Pakistan: insights from a PEER project

Notions of masculinity, which promote the role of men as providers and decision-makers, alongside men's opposition to modern forms of contraception, have long been assumed to be a barrier to women's use of contraception in Pakistan. There has been little in-depth exploration of varieties o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Culture, health & sexuality health & sexuality, 2017-11, Vol.19 (11), p.1225-1238
Main Authors: Brown, Eleanor, Gul, Xaher, Abbas, Aamir, Nasar, Asim, Balal, Asma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to information
Adult
behaviours
beliefs
Birth control
Children
Contraception - psychology
Contraception Behavior - psychology
Contraceptives
Decision makers
Evaluation research
Family Characteristics
Family planning
Family Planning Services - methods
Family size
Fertility
Friendship
Gender inequality
Humans
Husbands
Male
Marriage
Masculinity
Men
Pakistan
PEER method
Perceptions
Provinces
Reproductive health
Sociocultural factors
Women
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Summary:Notions of masculinity, which promote the role of men as providers and decision-makers, alongside men's opposition to modern forms of contraception, have long been assumed to be a barrier to women's use of contraception in Pakistan. There has been little in-depth exploration of varieties of masculinity and how these may influence men's views of child-bearing or fertility preferences. This study used Participatory Ethnographic and Evaluation Research to explore married men's (aged 18 to 45 years) perceptions of marriage, child-bearing and fertility control. A total of 31 men were recruited as researchers in two provinces (Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), who, in turn, each interviewed two male friends. Men overall supported a 'smaller' family size and use of contraceptive methods. Drivers of this preference included perceived economic constraints, the desire to invest in children's education, and wider acceptability of contraceptive use. Limiting family size was associated with both the value of competent male providers taking care of their children, as well as being poor. Men wanted to have better access to information through a range of channels. Understanding the sociocultural contexts in which masculinities are constructed is essential before involving men in family planning programmes, so that gender inequalities are not reinforced.
ISSN:1369-1058
1464-5351
DOI:10.1080/13691058.2017.1309459