Attitudes towards the male contraceptive pill in men and women in casual and stable sexual relationships

Abstract

Background and methodology Men's and women's attitudes towards the male contraceptive pill and their trust in the effective use of the male pill were investigated, as well as the associated variables of reported health behaviours, perceived self-efficacy and type of sexual relationship, using a questionnaire survey. ResultsAlthough both sexes had a favourable attitude towards the male pill, females had a more positive attitude than men. Conversely, women had less trust that men would use the male pill effectively. Males in stable sexual relationships were more positive about the male pill than those in casual sexual relationships. Gender, relationship type and trust in the effective use of the male pill reliably predicted attitude towards the male pill. High perceived self-efficacy was related to engaging in more health behaviours, and in men a positive association between Contraceptive failure has further-reaching consequences for women than for men. 3 Even if effective male hormonal contraception (MHC) were to be made available, contradictory findings suggest that men would 4 or would not 5 take over the responsibility for fertility control and could or could not be trusted to do so. Moreover, it has been postulated that the resources currently being directed at new contraceptives for men would be better spent making existing methods more widely available. 6 Men only use contraception in around one-third of heterosexual partnerships. 7,8 Some findings indicated that the majority of men seem to believe that men and women share equal responsibility for the decisions about contraception. 9 However, social research has repeatedly highlighted the contradictory role of men in fertility regulation: although many men believe that the responsibility for contraception should be shared, in practice many prefer not to use any. 10,11 Men are not seen as able to regulate their own fertility, and are likely to reject responsibility when asked. 12 It has been asserted that it is part of the image of male masculinity to exhibit fertility rather than preventing it. 12-14 Similarly attributed to the traditional masculine role are men's reluctant attitudes towards taking care of their own health because that would be a sign of weakness. 15 Discussion and conclusions A positive attitude towards the male pill does not automatically imply that the individual is confident about its effective use. Once the male pill is widely available, promotional campaigns could target not only men but also their female partners, as the latter tend to come into contact with health services more frequently. In order to increase confidence in effective implementation, a variety of presentations of the male pill should be made available in line with individual needs and lifestyles. 161Keywords gender differences, health behaviours, hormonal contraception, male contraception, male pill less regular contact with health care professionals 15,16 and are less likely to seek preventive reproductive and sexual health information and contraceptives. 1...

Attitudes towards the male contraceptive pill: psychosocial and cultural explanations for delaying a marketable product

“…Thus, Brooks [12] examined the views of 115 males in Bristol in the south west, and found that the contraceptive pill was well accepted, especially amongst males in established relationships. These results were similar to those of Eberhardt et al [14]. In their age-and gender-matched sample of 110 males and 110 females in the north east of England, women on the whole had a more positive attitude than men; however, males in a stable sexual relationship were more willing to accept the male pill than those in unstable or casual sexual relationships.…”

“…Would women trust their partners to use a male pill efficiently, and would men trust themselves? Glasier et al [24] researched the attitudes of 1,894 women in Scotland (450), China (900) and South Africa (544), and found that only 36 women (2%) believed that they would not trust their partners, which threatens the idea that new forms of male contraception would not be successful for reasons of trust.This is contradictory to the findings of Eberhardt et al [14], who found, in their aforementioned sample of men and women in the north east of England, that women had less trust that men would use the male pill effectively than men themselves, despite there also being a lack of confidence in its effective use amongst these men, especially in casual relationships. Their results also revealed that being female and having trust in men's effective use of the male pill reliably predicted a positive attitude, while being male, being involved in casual sexual relationships or in no relationship, and having low trust in its effective use each reliably predicted a negative attitude.…”

“…These studies have either examined the attitudes of those participating in MHC trials [8][9][10][11] or asked respondents about the hypothetical concept of a male contraceptive pill being made widely available to the public [12][13][14]. Both types of studies have yielded largely encouraging results, as is revealed in the following sections.…”

“…[25] and Eberhardt et al [14] is self-efficacy, which is a theoretical construct representing the belief that one is capable of making the correct decisions in order to come to the desired outcome. With regard to trust, this means that once a male has the self-belief to take responsibility for the contraception in sexual interaction, he will adhere to the prescriptions of proper use and will at least trust himself to do so.…”

“…High self-efficacy in heterosexual females has been reported as resulting in more effective use of contraceptives [25]. Furthermore, Eberhardt et al [14] found that men in stable relations were more likely to have high selfefficacy and a more positive attitude towards the male pill.…”