Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 26;19(19):12182.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912182.

Association of Male Partners' Gender-Equitable Attitudes and Behaviors with Young Mothers' Postpartum Family Planning and Maternal Health Outcomes in Kinshasa, DRC

Anastasia J Gage  1 , Francine E Wood  2 , Darling Kittoe  1 , Preethi Murthy  1 , Rianne Gay  3
Affiliations

Association of Male Partners' Gender-Equitable Attitudes and Behaviors with Young Mothers' Postpartum Family Planning and Maternal Health Outcomes in Kinshasa, DRC

Anastasia J Gage et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Inequitable gender norms can contribute to rapid repeat pregnancies and adverse maternal health outcomes among adolescent girls and young women. This study examined associations between male partners' gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors and postpartum family planning (FP) and maternal and newborn health (MNH) outcomes among first-time mothers aged 15-24 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Participants were 1335 couples who were successfully interviewed in the Momentum project's 2018 baseline and 2020 endline surveys. Multivariable regression models were used to analyze predictors of postpartum FP discussion and use, shared MNH decision making, completion of the maternal health continuum of care, and exclusive breastfeeding. Male involvement in maternal health was significantly associated with FP discussion and shared decision making. Male partners' willingness to be involved in routine childcare and shared decision making were significant positive predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. Postpartum FP outcomes were shaped by the intersection of marital status and male partners' gender-equitable attitudes, intimate partner violence perpetration, and willingness to engage in routine childcare activities to constitute advantage for some outcomes and disadvantage for others. Interventions must use multiple measures to better understand how young mothers' health outcomes are shaped by their male partners' gender-related attitudes and behaviors.

Keywords: exclusive breastfeeding; gender; male involvement; maternal health; postpartum family planning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Darmstadt G.L., Heise L., Gupta G.R., Henry S., Cislaghi B., Greene M.E., Hawkes S., Hay K., Heymann J., Klugman J., et al. Why Now for a Series on Gender Equality, Norms, and Health? Lancet. 2019;393:2374–2377. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30985-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Heymann J., Levy J.K., Bose B., Ríos-Salas V., Mekonen Y., Swaminathan H., Omidakhsh N., Gadoth A., Huh K., Greene M.E., et al. Improving Health with Programmatic, Legal, and Policy Approaches to Reduce Gender Inequality and Change Restrictive Gender Norms. Lancet. 2019;393:2522–2534. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30656-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Klugman J., Hanmer L., Twigg S., Hasan T., McCleary-Sills J., Santamaria J. Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity. The World Bank; Washington, DC, USA: 2014. [(accessed on 9 August 2022)]. Available online: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/19036.
    1. Heise L., Greene M.E., Opper N., Stavropoulou M., Harper C., Nascimento M., Zewdie D., Darmstadt G.L., Greene M.E., Hawkes S., et al. Gender Inequality and Restrictive Gender Norms: Framing the Challenges to Health. Lancet. 2019;393:2440–2454. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30652-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weber A.M., Cislaghi B., Meausoone V., Abdalla S., Mejía-Guevara I., Loftus P., Hallgren E., Seff I., Stark L., Victora C.G., et al. Gender Norms and Health: Insights from Global Survey Data. Lancet. 2019;393:2455–2468. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30765-2. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types