Conformity to Masculine Norms Predicts U.S. Men’s Decision-Making Regarding a New Male Contraceptive

Health decision-making is often explained by affective and cognitive processes, but this processing is rarely explored in relation to gender norms. We investigated how conformity to specific masculine norms are linked to the affective and cognitive processes that lead to U.S. men’s decisions regarding a new male contraceptive. U.S. male college students (N = 151) completed an online survey. They read a description of a long-acting reversible contraceptive, then completed questionnaires measuring their affective and cognitive responses, their information-seeking and willingness-to-try the contraceptive, and their conformity to masculine norms. Participants reported less willingness-to-try the contraceptive when they endorsed masculine norms regarding men’s Power Over Women and concern with Heterosexual Self-Presentation, and these effects were consistently mediated by beliefs about its negative impact on sex. Positive emotions predicted willingness-to-try and information-seeking but were unrelated to masculine norms. This broadens our understanding of how conformity to specific gender norms impacts health decision-making processes