Examining the association between men's gender equitable attitudes and contraceptive outcomes in rural Maharashtra, India.

Background

Previous literature suggests that men reporting more gender-equitable attitudes are more likely to use condoms, but there is a paucity of data evaluating whether these attitudes are associated with contraceptive communication and use. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that men reporting more gender-equitable attitudes will be more likely to (a) engage in contraceptive communication with their wives and (b) that they and/or their wives will be more likely to use all forms of family planning, compared to men with less equitable attitudes.

Methods

Using cross-sectional dyadic survey data from young married couples from rural Maharashtra, India (

Findings

Men with more gender-equitable attitudes were more likely to discuss family planning with their wives (AOR = 1·05, 95%CI 1·03-1·07,

Interpretation

While gender-equitable attitudes among men may facilitate condom use and family planning communication in marriage, they do not appear to be linked with greater likelihood of use of more effective types of contraceptive use. This suggests that males supportive of gender equity may take greater responsibility for family planning vis a vis a less effective contraceptive, condoms, in the absence of more effective short-acting contraceptives for men.

Funding

The National Institutes of Health [Grant number 5R01HD084453-01A1] and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number INV-002967].

Informations de copyright

© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. CC BY 4.0.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.