In Pakistan’s essentially patriarchal society, men’s views and opinions on subjects such as the ideal family size, spacing between births, and methods to be used for contraception have a strong impact on women’s expectations and attitudes. With that in mind, it is indeed surprising that men have generally been less involved in both receiving as well as providing information on sexual and reproductive health. When it comes to family planning (FP), public health professionals the world over have been assiduously promoting the involvement of men as a critical ingredient for ensuring success of any FP program, yet in Pakistan male engagement in family planning remains an elusive reality.

 

 

Though reproduction involves both men and women equally, family planning has traditionally been seen as the sole responsibility of women. Men, as decision makers, have greater say than women in matters such as when to start a family and the number of children to have. This means that women’s capacity to enforce contraceptive use is very limited. Particularly when couples are discussing family planning, gender differences and the unilateral power exercised by husbands provide men with greater control in making decisions.

 

At the same time, it is women who are targeted by policy interventions. Family planning programs typically provide women and girls with information and messaging. This places them in a position where, while equipped with knowledge, they find themselves lacking the power to seek family planning services and the means to pay for them.