Contraception is woman's job, say 45% Karnataka men

A recent survey has reinforced a patriarchal mindset that contraception is a woman’s responsibility. A whopping 45.2% of men in Karnataka believe contraception is a woman’s business and a man should not worry about it, according to the National Family Health Survey-5. The survey was released on May 6.

Doctors and experts weighed in on the impact this mindset has on family planning, vasectomy and other government initiatives for which it conducts regular medical camps.

Around 30.7% of the men in the state also believe women who use contraception may become promiscuous. But reassuringly, 50.7% of men say that if a male condom is used correctly, it protects against pregnancy most of the time.

Executive director of Population Foundation of India Poonam Muttreja said it was a matter of concern that female sterilisation was still the most popular method of contraception. “This shows that the onus of family planning continues to be on women,” she said.

Poonam called for providing quality sexual and reproductive health information and services, education, skill-building and gender equality initiatives for the youth. “Our experience shows that targeted social and behaviour change communication campaigns can address social norms and harmful practices, besides promoting male engagement in family planning,” she explained.

Dr Hema Divakar, former president of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India, dwelt on another area of concern. “Even men who don’t mind going for vasectomy are shy of disclosing it among friends and family as they are wary of how they will be perceived. Now, even women are being conditioned by their families, in-laws and husbands that it is their job to shoulder the responsibility of family planning. There is still a wrong notion that vasectomy affects their sexual life,” she said.

Citing country-wide data, Poonam said the “unmet need for family planning methods” was highest among the lowest wealth quintile (11.4%) and lowest among the highest wealth quintile (8.6%). The usage of modern contraceptives also increases with income, from 50.7% of women in the lowest wealth quintile to 58.7% of women in the highest quintile.

The NFHS-5 data also showed that women who are employed are more likely to use modern contraception. The data says that 66.3% of women who are employed use a modern contraceptive method, compared with 53.4% of women who are not.

“This data adds to the mountain of evidence that proves that development is the best contraceptive,” Poonam said. “While there is much to celebrate in the NFHS-5 data, our focus should now be to reach the unreached. We must do more for the marginalised sections of society who may be underprivileged on the basis of class, identity or geography.”