Men’s Interpretation of Traditional and Religious Beliefs in Support of Family Planning

Samuel Antobam , Ipas Ghana
Heather Marlow, Mathematica
Selorme Azumah, Ipas, Ghana
Awal Mahammed , NorSAAC
Elizabeth Regan, IBIS

In many traditional African communities men dominate household decision making processes including family planning. And some evidence show that in Ghana indicates men play an important role in contraceptive decision-making within couples. But more often than not, men who support their partners for family planning are classified in the community as 'modern' or acculturated to foreign beliefs. This notion is making it difficult to improve access to family planning in, especially, more traditional communities where men dominate in all aspects of decisions. Using in-depth interviews and focus group discussion approaches we investigate the local traditional and religious beliefs that motivate some men to support their partners for family planning.

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 Presented in Session 1. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior, & Reproductive Health 1