Attitudes of men towards family planning in mbeya region, tanzania: A rural-urban comparison of qualitative data
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1998-07
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Abstract
Family planning programmes in Tanzania date back to the 1950s. By the early 1990s, however, only 5-10% of women of childbearing age used contraceptives in the country. Low contraceptive prevalence in Tanzania is reportedly attributable to men's opposition to family planning. This paper employs focus groups to explore the role of Tanzanian men in family planning. More specifically, it presents a rural-urban comparison of the attitudes of men in Mbeya region, Tanzania, to family size preference, sex composition, partners' communication on family planning matters and contraceptive behavior. Findings indicate that men express positive attitudes towards fertility-regulating methods. There is, moreover, little rural-urban variation in male attitudes towards family planning in the study area. Possible reasons for this normative convergence (including structural similarities and rural-urban migration between the two communities) are discussed.
PIP:
This study explored the attitudes of rural and urban men toward family planning (FP) in Tanzania. Data were obtained from focus groups conducted among a sample of men aged 16-50 years living in both urban (Mabatini, Ruanda, and Sisimba) and rural (Iwindi, Mapogoro, and Tembela) districts of Mbeya region in the southern highlands in 1994. The total fertility rate was 7.4 children/woman in the region. Focus group discussions addressed four themes: attitudes toward family size, sex composition, communication about FP, and contraceptive use. Findings indicate that male attitudes toward FP did not vary between urban and rural areas. The similarities are attributed to pervasive cultural norms and little structural variation between areas. Men preferred more sons and believed that larger families cost more. Men in urban areas were more aware of the cost of large families. Men considered it their responsibility to allow women to use FP. Men were suspicious of modern methods, doubted their safety, and feared that women would be unfaithful if allowed to use contraception. Men believed that condoms were useful for prevention of HIV/AIDS with prostitutes and did not associate use with FP. Men believed that FP was directed to women and not sufficiently directed to men, and that women knew more about FP. The family size desired ranged from 4-6 children in rural areas, to 2-4 children in urban areas, which suggests unmet need. Negative attitudes of men towards FP should be addressed in IEC campaigns.
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Mwageni, E. A., Ankomah, A., & Powell, R. A. (1998). Attitudes of men towards family planning in mbeya region, tanzania: A rural-urban comparison of qualitative data. Journal of Biosocial Science, 30(3), 381-392