Historically, family planning programs have targeted women almost exclusively. More recently it has become clear that men have a strong influence on their partners' use of contraception, either by opposing the use of any or one specific method, or by deciding that a woman has to either use a given method or be sterilized. In this context, our study aimed to evaluate the male perspective on the role of gender in the decision to use contraceptive methods and to have and raise children. The sample consisted of 776 males from a university in the State of São Paulo: 467 graduate students, 314 employees, and 129 teachers. A structured, previously tested questionnaire was used for the interviews. Data analysis is currently under way. The least familiar contraceptive methods were Billings (29.9%), injectables (35.4%), and jellies (57.8%). Some 80% of the interviewees mentioned other methods. The proportion of men who denied knowledge of any contraceptive method whatsoever was 1.6%. Our findings are similar to those of other authors.
Contraception; Family Planning; Birth Control; Contraceptives Devices
