Endut N, Bagheri R, Azmawati AA, Hashim IHM, Selamat NH, Mohajer L. The influence of men's masculine gender-role attitude and behaviour on sexual relationships and reproductive health in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study.
Int J Reprod Biomed 2021;
19:663-670. [PMID:
34458675 PMCID:
PMC8387709 DOI:
10.18502/ijrm.v19i7.9477]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
This article is an extension of a previous research on masculinity and sexual and reproductive health using a newly developed local masculinity scale, KANITA Masculinity Scale, to study men's masculine gender-role attitude and behavior in Malaysia.
Objective
To explore how Malaysian men's masculine gender-role attitude and behavior influence sexual relationships and reproductive health.
Materials and Methods
This cross-sectional study used the localized gender-equitable men scale to measure the attitude of Malaysian men toward sexual relationships and reproductive health. A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of 168 men of ages 20-64 yr, in Malaysia. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS version 3.2.6.
Results
The findings of the study showed that men's traditional behavior and controlling nature are positively associated with the inequality in sexual relationships (p < 0.05, t = 1.838; and p < 0.05, t = 3.750, respectively) and reproductive health (p < 0.05, t = 2.196; and p < 0.05, t = 4.133, respectively). In other words, men who offer stronger endorsement of traditional behavior and control over women report more negative condom attitude and greater priority of men's desire in sexual relationships. In contrast, there was no significant relationship between men's response to family and feminine roles in men with sexual relationships and reproductive health.
Conclusion
Our findings highlight the importance of considering traditional masculinity ideology when considering the role of men in sexual relationships and reproductive health. Our findings suggest gender transformative policies and programs seeking to inspire men for more gender-equitable relationships with their partners.
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