Male involvement through reproductive health awareness in Bukidnon Province, the Philippines: An intervention study

Recent years have been characterized by an increasing consensus that, in order to support women\u27s goals and aspirations, health programs directed to the improvement of women\u27s and children\u27s health must consider men\u27s perspectives. Although family planning (FP) is often viewed as the woman\u27s responsibility, men have an important role in decisions of whether FP will be practiced and which method will be used. Even though gender relations in the Philippines are often characterized as being relatively egalitarian, there are several reasons for believing that male involvement in FP is highly relevant for this country. Studies indicate that not only are Filipino husbands accorded a disproportionate share of power in conjugal decision-making about matters pertaining to sexuality, fertility, and FP, but also that their reluctance to use FP is a contributory factor underlying the country’s significant unmet need. As stated in this report, the long-term goal of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of involving men as partners in the Reproductive Health Awareness intervention on the basis of degree of support for FP use, use of male-oriented methods, and more couple communication on family formation matters