Increasing Men’s Engagement to Improve Family Planning Programs in South Asia

programs holds promise as a means to improve access and use of family planning in South Asia. A growing number of programmatic examples and research findings in the region, as well as global evidence, demonstrate the benefits of male engagement. Evidence also shows that addressing gender in family planning programs — for instance by engaging men — can improve program outcomes and increase gender equality.1, 2 However, many cultural factors in South Asia impede men’s engagement in family planning. This brief synthesizes recent research on cultural barriers to men’s engagement in family planning and presents successful strategies for increasing men’s engagement based on global and regional evidence. Additionally, the brief provides guidance for designing activities to engage men in family planning programs.