The “Inside the FP Story” podcast explores the fundamentals of designing and implementing family planning programming. Season 3 will explore how to approach gender integration in family planning programs—including reproductive empowerment, gender-based violence prevention and response, and male engagement. Hear from a variety of guests as they offer practical examples and specific guidance on integrating gender awareness and equality within their family planning programs. The podcast launches Wednesday, April 20, with new episodes released every Wednesday until May 3.

This commentary argues that while women and girls and men and boys are all affected by the current mental health crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis among men warrants close attention given potential impacts on global public health and the unique, gendered responses required to meet men’s needs. Along with their call to address social and economic vulnerabilities exacerbated during the pandemic, the authors provide examples of evidence-based, scalable interventions to support men’s mental health.

This blog discusses how a continuous endorsement of masculinity beliefs may negatively influence the overall health and wellbeing of men. Conformity to masculine beliefs prevents men from seeking professional help and care when going through emotional or personal crises, causes them to seek less preventive care, and can contribute to intentional deferment of professional care when experiencing injury or illness.

This study explores emerging opportunities for social transformation in the context of sedimented layers of male privilege and the questioning of restrictive gender norms in two Iraqi governorates. Among the promising pathways for change are awareness-raising activities with male allies, alongside other longer-term efforts advancing transformative change in attitudes, practices, and behaviors.

In this analysis, Health Policy Plus examines the policy environment for male engagement in family planning across 26 USAID priority countries for family planning. The in-depth analysis examines national polices for reproductive health and family planning and/or gender, and offers priority policy actions that strengthen a supportive environment for engaging men and boys in family planning programs and services.

This resource serves as a policy framework for male engagement and shares examples of how the framework can be applied to strengthen the enabling environment for male engagement. The framework is organized around men’s and boys’ three overlapping roles in family planning: as contraceptive users, as supportive partners for family planning, and as agents of change.