Masculinity and Gendered Power Relations: Involvement of Young Men in Fertility Control in a Rural Context of Ethiopia

Nega Jibat, Jimma University
Haldis Haukanes, Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen
Astrid Blystad, Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen
Getnet Tadele, Addis Ababa University

Increasing research and policy attention is paid to men’s involvement in the reproductive domain. This thesis focuses on young men’s engagement in fertility control in a rural context of Ethiopia drawing on hegemonic masculinity. Employing a qualitative research, we found that cultural and religious norms reinforce each other creating dynamics that work towards the maintaining of gender inequality compromising the involvement of young men in fertility control. Disapproving norms against contraceptive use are encountered in parallel with more approving norms and discourse that open for the use of preventive methods. Among young men, there seems to be a move towards increasing tolerance and acceptance for contraceptive use. Induced abortion is strongly disapproved normatively, but is exceptionally accepted. There continues to be severe restrictions on young men involvement in fertility control. However, there are a number of signs of opposition against prevailing restrictive regimes, normative and practical orders.