Transforming gender relations? Male involvement in maternal and infant health care in Ghana

The ICPD 1994 recognised the importance of male involvement in sexual and reproductive health as a means to promote the health of men, women and children as well as address constraining gendered influences on health outcomes. Gender could influence women and children’s health through women’s decision-making power in the household, access to economic resources and quality healthcare, and heavy workload within and outside the household. Mid-way through working towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) five, which is concerned with improving maternal health, the international health community realised that the goal was impossible to achieve without involving men as “partners, fathers, husbands, brothers, policy makers, and community and religious leaders” because of their influencing roles in the household and society. Global strategies to involve men have included behaviour change communication campaigns, education and outreach in communities, home visits, and facility-based counselling.

Considering the global and national intensification of male involvement initiatives, this study explores the extent to which male involvement in maternal and infant health care could influence notions and practices of fatherhood as well as challenge dominant social structures in urban and rural contexts.