Partnering: A New Approach to Sexual and Reproductive Health

From the executive summary - "The focus of this 2000 Technical Report and Policy Paper...is on a gender perspective in sexual and reproductive health, and on finding constructive ways to build partnership between men and women....Just as family planning and the pill were revolutionarey 50 years ago, building partnerships with men in areas such as sexuality, reproductive intentions, new gender roles, fatherhood and conflict resolution is the revolution occuring at the start of the 21st century...

Recurring themes in this report are the influence of gender systems on men's identity formation and on gender relations, and the multiple expectations of and challenges to being a man; men's knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in the areas of sexuality and reproduction; the role men play in the HIV/AIDS epidemic; the urgency of dealing with the different kinds of sexual relationships men have, including same-sex behaviour and finding ways for couples to negotiate safety and satisfaction in their sexual relations; what men's sexual and reproductive health needs are and how reproductive health services can better respond to them; the need to go beyond a helth-needs and fertility-based approach, and to include legislation, advocacy and education to change cultures that condone violence and inhibit men and women's roles and choices; and the need to remove discriminatory practices, including son preference, early marriage, female genital mutlation (FGM) and gender-based violence, as interfering with social, couple, and individual growth."

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