ABSTRACT
Although contraceptive use must be the responsibility of both men and women, in India, the burden of this is entirely borne by women. Despite the availability of free contraceptive services, men’s use of both condoms and vasectomies is abysmally low. The National Population Policy of India in 2000, recognised the critical role of male involvement in the family planning programme. However, social norms, the historical context and health system factors have been barriers in translating this shift in policy into implementation on the ground level. This paper describes an intervention that sought to provide a platform where men come forward to recognise their responsibility as partners and share the burden of contraceptive use. The results of the intervention reflect not just an increase in male contraceptive use, but also an improvement in men’s attitude towards male responsibility in family planning, improved relationships between couples, facilitation of the interface between health provider and men in the community, and overall improvement in indicators such as girls education and child marriage which suggest a move towards the creation of new gender equitable social norms that promote women’s autonomy.
