Promoting a New Vision of Masculinity

Women cannot achieve sexual and reproductive health without the participation of men.

One clear example is the spread of HIV. Men are involved in almost every case of transmission of the virus and usually have greater power to protect themselves and their partners. Coercion and abuse, including rape, increase the risks.

The AIDS pandemic has helped underscore the linkages between power relations and sexual and reproductive health. And it has demonstrated that half of the population has been neglected in terms of reproductive and sexual health.

However, this is changing. New research shows that many men want to be caring partners and that many welcome the idea of mutually satisfying relationships built on trust and communication. UNFPA is committed to finding more effective strategies to encourage this.

Continued progress in fully engaging men and boys as partners who take responsibility for their sexual behaviour and who respect the rights of women and girls will enhance all aspects of sexual and reproductive health, including family planning and the care of children.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Ideas about manhood are deeply ingrained. From an early age, boys may be socialized into gender roles designed to keep men in power and in control. Many grow up to believe that dominant behaviour towards girls and women is part of being a man.

Risk-taking and aggressive sexual behaviour on the part of young men are often applauded by peers and condoned by society. These stereotypes result in harm to both women and men, and erode possibilities of establishing satisfying, mutually respectful relationships. Targeted messages that can help boys and young men reflect upon and discuss issues surrounding masculinity, relationships and sexuality, can contribute to the deconstruction of negative, high-risk and sometimes harmful attitudes.

Involvement in Family Life

Children, parents and society benefit when men become more actively involved with their children. However, while the duties of a father vary greatly throughout the world, responsibility for children, in particular, is still seen as belonging to the mother. Fathers spend about a third as much time as mothers in providing direct child care.

However, in both developed and developing countries, a new ideal of fatherhood is emerging. The "new" father:

• supports the mother during pregnancy and childbirth

• has close relationships with his children

• cooperates with his partner

• shares in household tasks

While this ideal is, indeed, evolving, practice is slow to change. To successfully promote male involvement in the family, concerned leaders, governments, and NGOs must begin by confronting cultural barriers and providing education that prepares them for a broader fathering role

Promoting Partnerships

Building on new understandings of masculinity and of men’s reproductive and sexual health needs and attitudes, UNFPA has identified a number of key interventions to help bring about healthier and more equitable partnerships between men and women. These include:

• integrating activities to screen for and treat sexually transmitted disease with family planning

• supporting men’s reproductive health services (especially to key target groups) and ‘male-friendly’ reproductive health clinics providing greater access to condoms

• engaging community leaders in the broadest sense (government, private sector, religion, media, entertainment) to endorse equal partnerships between men and women

• advocating for gender equality, men’s and women’s reproductive and sexual health needs (beyond family planning), and ending harmful practices

• enacting measures that discourage gender-based violence and encourage a greater role for men in raising children

• working with the mass media, educators and service providers to promote alternative male role models and change norms that tolerate violence

UNFPA is working in many innovative ways to encourage healthier partnerships between men and women.  Also, UNFPA has a new report on the subject: Partnering: A New Approach to Sexual and Reproductive Health.