The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71690

Lisa M Bates, SM¹, Sidney Schuler, PhD², Farzana Islam, PhD³, and Joanna Maselko¹. (1) Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (2) Center for Applied Behavioral and Evaluation Research, Empowerment of Women Research Program, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, (3) Anthropology Department, Jahangirnagar University, 1-3A Lalmatia, Block C, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Attention to the role of men and gender in affecting women’s health outcomes has increased considerably in recent years but relatively little empirical work has focused on men’s gender ideologies beyond attitudes related to sexual behavior.

This paper presents findings from a two-year multi-method study in rural Bangladesh. Survey data from married couples in six villages are analyzed to examine the relationships between men’s characteristics and women’s health outcomes (use of reproductive health services, gynecological morbidity, self-rated health, and domestic violence). We measured men’s beliefs about gender roles, sexual initiation and coercion and their perceptions of their ability to fulfill male gender expectations. We also assessed factors that may influence men’s sense of their own vulnerability (e.g., perceptions of social support and social capital, and experiences of violence or extortion in the community). We analyze the effects of these factors, as well as the degree and type of discordance in gender attitudes between husbands and wives, on the health outcomes of interest.

Our qualitative data and preliminary quantitative findings indicate that though gender norms are evolving, gender inequality persists with negative consequences for women’s health. Men are often not willing to devote scarce resources to promoting their wives’ health and conflict around or transgression of gender norms can increase women’s vulnerability to violence; violence may be associated with husbands’ inability to fulfill gender-specific expectations to provide for their families or with differences in couples’ gender beliefs, particularly when the wife has more egalitarian views than her husband.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the role of men's beliefs and characteristics in women's health
• To understand the degree and type of couple concordance in gender beliefs and the effects on women's health

Keywords: Gender, Reproductive Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.