Around the world, women carry disproportionate responsibility for reproductive health and family size. And while women receive the bulk of reproductive health education, including family planning information, gender dynamics can render women powerless to make decisions. Men often hold decision-making power over matters as basic as sexual relations and when and whether to have a child or even seek health care. But most reproductive health programs focus exclusively on women. EngenderHealth recognizes the importance of partnership between women and men, as well as the crucial need to reach out to men with services and education that enable them to share in the responsibility for reproductive health.

To address this, EngenderHealth established its Men As Partners® (MAP) program in 1996. Through its groundbreaking work, this program works with men to play constructive roles in promoting gender equity and health in their families and communities. EngenderHealth works with individuals, communities, health care providers, and national health systems to:

• Enhance men’s awareness and support for their partners’ reproductive health choices
• Increase men’s access to comprehensive reproductive health services
• Mobilize men to take an active stand for gender equity and against gender-based violence

To date, EngenderHealth has developed Men As Partners programs in over 15 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.