Fertility control in a cultural and gendered normative context of rural Oromia, Ethiopia: Implications for involvement of young men
| dc.contributor.advisor | Getnet Tadele (PhD) Haldis Haukanes (PhD) Astrid Blystad (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Nega Jibat | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-08-08T06:14:00Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-08-08T06:14:00Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-10-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Increasing research and policy attention is paid to fertility control in gendered and cultural normative rural context. This thesis focuses on the domains of fertility control and young men’s engagement in a less explored rural context of Ethiopia. Fertility control is a broad field entailing aspects such as sexual restrictions, contraception and induced abortion, and is in the present work explored and analyzed based on prevailing societal norms, perceptions and practices. Implications of the normative contexts for young men’s involvement in the three domains of fertility control are also examined. The theoretical framing draws on perspectives from masculinity and gender theory. Methods: Weberian-oriented and ethnographic-based qualitative research, with in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations as research methods, were employed in the generation and analyses of the material. The study participants consisted of community members: young men, (some) young women, sector leaders, adult religious leaders and community leaders, and health workers. The main fieldwork was carried out over an extended period of fourteen months from June 2017 to July 2018 in Nadhi Gibe District of Jimma Zone in Oromia region, Ethiopia. Study findings: The study found that cultural, gender and religious norms reinforce each other creating dynamics that work towards the maintaining of gender inequality shaping the involvement of young men in fertility control, and hence indicate manifestations of hegemonic masculinity. The most pronounced norms on fertility control are concerned about avoiding premarital sex and premarital pregnancy. Simultaneously strong social norms disapproving fertility control in marital relations were found. The involvement of young men in fertility control vary within the various aspects of fertility control. Young men are engaged in the establishing of love, sexual, and marital relations, but are less preoccupied with contraceptive use and abortion. They largely violate the restrictive social norms against premarital sexual relations and consider fertility control as the domain of women but they have significant influence on women’s choice of fertility control. Disapproving norms against contraceptive use are encountered in parallel with more approving norms and discourse that open for the use of preventive methods. Among young men the perceptions and practices pertaining to contraception differed substantially. However, there seems to be a move towards increasing tolerance and acceptance for contraceptive use. Induced abortion is strongly disapproved normatively, but is exceptionally accepted with reference to diverse arguments, ranging from saving the mother’s life to family’s economic problems. The Abortion Law of Ethiopia (2005) remains relatively restrictive, but it is permissive procedurally through clinical guidelines developed to assist healthcare workers in their abortion supportive work. Access to abortion care is partly constrained among others by healthcare providers’ tendency to refuse abortion services without the involvement of the male partner. Young men's strategies in cases of unwanted pregnancies of their girlfriends range from supportive approaches through marriage or providing abortion costs, to non supportive approaches such as forcing their girlfriends to abort, denying fatherhood or abandoning. Conclusion: The study indicates that there continues to be normative influences on fertility control and severe restrictions on young men involvement in fertility control. However, there are a number of signs of opposition against prevailing restrictive regimes, and of young people's agency to act against these restrictive normative and practical orders implying rooms for change. The study has significant academic and policy relevance in rural and youth dominated populated Ethiopia. Priority should be given to social norms and involvement of men in efforts of improving fertility control. Key words: fertility control; involvement of young men; gendered relations; hegemonic masculinity; norms of fertility; sexuality; contraception; induced abortion; | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/6238 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | fertility control | |
| dc.subject | involvement of young men | |
| dc.subject | gendered relations | |
| dc.subject | hegemonic masculinity | |
| dc.subject | norms of fertility | |
| dc.subject | sexuality | |
| dc.subject | contraception | |
| dc.subject | induced abortion | |
| dc.title | Fertility control in a cultural and gendered normative context of rural Oromia, Ethiopia: Implications for involvement of young men | |
| dc.type | Thesis |