Arizona State University

Published in Gender & Society in April 2002, this study investigates the role of men in reproductive and contraceptive changes in urban Mozambique by analysing man-to-man communication on family planning issues. The literature on the issues related to family planning in sub-Saharan Africa does indeed recognise male partners' opinions and choices as an important factor in shaping couple's reproductive and contraceptive practices. However, according to the author of this study, previous research has rarely investigated the precise mechanisms in which the opinions and attitudes of men on these issues are formed. The present study begins from an assumption that the role of man-to-man informal social interaction, especially verbal communication, is crucial in forming men's family planning-related knowledge, attitudes, and preferences. Theoretically, the study relies on the social interaction literature, which establishes that informal interaction among peers compensates for insufficient and unfamiliar information communicated from formal sources (e.g., government health agencies).

Evaluation/Research Methodologies:

The present study is not project-bound, in that the data collected would indicate societal trends instead of illuminating specific impacts of a particular family planning project. The author gathered qualitative data in 1998 in a suburban area of Greater Maputo, Mozambique, through eight focus groups and 60 individual, in-depth interviews. All participants (both male and female, although specific proportion of each is not specified) were in some type of marital union (i.e., traditional, legal, or nonformalised cohabitation). Focus groups and interviews centered on topics related to fertility, family planning, and informal communication regarding these matters. Participants' answers were sought on achieved and desired fertility, knowledge of and experience with contraception, conversations with male peers on these matters, passive or accidental exposure to conversations of others, and communication with marital partners and other women.

Key Findings/Impact:

Looking at the existing patterns of communication and its interaction with other types and venues of communication on matters related to family planning (e.g., mass media, institutional communications from health agencies, information from health clinics, etc.), the findings from the present study may illuminate potential entry points for developing effective communication strategies in structured, project-based settings.

The author found that male participants in the study were generally familiar with common contraceptive techniques, and close to half of the participants had used these techniques at least once. Men's knowledge on fertility control was often acquired from their female partners, but they also learned it from hospitals and family planning clinics, and from overheard conversations among women. Men then relayed such information to their male friends in a variety of informal settings, such as bar conversation, during neighborhood soccer match, and conversation with co-workers. However, man-to-man communication of fertility matters was generally superficial, indirect, tangential, short, and infrequent. The author cites social stigmas deriving from the local culture and men's strong gendered attitudes as the primary source of the limited extent of fertility control conversation among men. Talking about someone's family planning was a "private matter" and, more importantly, a "women’s thing," which men in the study area considered a feminine topic thus inappropriate in male conversations. Nevertheless, the study found that men tended to engage in fertility control conversation more openly in one-on-one settings, feeling less afraid to be ridiculed for talking about "women's things."

The author also found that this type of communication was difficult to sustain among family members and across different socio-economic groups. Men were less discouraged from talking about "women's matters" when communicating with other men who were outside one's kin, in the same age group, and in the same social class. Predictably, men tended to engage in fertility control conversations with other men more frequently when his life circumstance could benefit from practical and immediate utility of family planning, such as when he was satisfied with the achieved number of children.

The study cites the gender ideology of men as an important factor shaping men's attitudes toward family planning and their perception of its benefits. Men's communication on family planning tended to be preoccupied with how contraception affects sexuality and sexual intercourse, instead of focusing on the effectiveness of different techniques. Gender stereotypes held among many men (erroneously) associated the use of contraception with bodily and ethical ailment. For example, family planning was often seen as a green light to female partners' infidelity. Finally, social distances existed between men and women in Mozambique, precluding casual cross-gender communication outside marital relationships. The lack of communication between men and women helped reinforce existing gender stereotypes; men's conversations on family planning were confined to man-to-man communication, which might or might not circulate correct information about contraceptive use.

TThe author argues that the findings illuminate two potentials. On one hand, men's communication of family control reinforces gender stereotypes and, thus, prevents men's acceptance of fertility regulation and contraceptive use. On the other hand, it can offer men a critical peer approval and facilitate constructive negotiation of reproductive goals with their partners. The author calls for programmatic efforts designed to promote the latter potential.