Online Reporter
Mkhululi Ncube, Sunday News Reporter
SOCIO-CULTURAL beliefs that suggest family planning is a woman’s duty limit male involvement in Sexual Reproductive Health matters (SRH) which is a step back in ensuring both women and men take an active role in health issues.
This has been highlighted through Mrs Bekithemba Dube, a mother of 15 from Mangwe District in Matabeleland South Province whose husband never accompanied her for any antenatal care clinic visits throughout her multiple pregnancies.
Her husband, Mr Kisswell Dube, has never attended pre and post-natal visits to the health centre with his wife saying if he was “necessary” in the processes, the hospital would have informed him.
“She went by herself to the clinic since it is not very far. If they needed me they would have told her to come with me. I was never told to go with her to the clinic. Even after delivery, ubezibuyela yedwa nje (she would come back by herself),” said Mr Dube.
His response is a bold sign of a lack of knowledge of the need for men to play an active role in their partners’ health needs such as reproductive health care and family planning.
Women in rural communities continue to struggle by themselves in deciding family planning methods to use and attending pre-natal and post-natal health visits with most men playing an insignificant role.
In the story, Mrs Dube who gave birth to 15 children narrated a harrowing tale of family planning failure which led to her having a record number of children despite trying various available methods.
She said she first tried using family planning pills as a pregnancy prevention method but they gave her problems which forced her to use an implant but she got pregnant while using it. She has now resorted to using a non-hormonal method.
Health experts say birth control is not a one-size-fits-all and there are various methods available, including pills, patches, injections, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and more.
Each method has unique advantages and considerations on every woman and what works best for one person may not be the ideal choice for another.
Community Working Group on Health Programmes officer Ms Mandy Mathias said there are socio-cultural beliefs that limit the involvement of men in Sexual Reproductive Health matters.
“Male involvement in SRH issues has been noted as limited due to socio-cultural beliefs such that men generally do not actively support the use of family planning by their partners and may instead negatively influence decisions on their use. Family planning failure is common in some women due to a number of issues mostly related to incorrect use and side effects. However, the presence of a variety of methods ensures almost every woman can find a method that fits well with her,” she said.
Ms Mathias said offering free family planning services at all public health facilities is a strategy for promoting choice as an empowerment tool for women.
She said maternal health is a crucial element of SRH and promotes family planning as a strategy that promotes safe motherhood.
She said mothers with large families generally have high-stress levels as children’s needs are usually unmet, resulting in conflict between parents and contributing to gender-based violence.
“Regular childbirth with short intervals affects the health of the mother as her body does not get to rest or recover. It also results in cases of poor nutrition and care of children as most are weaned early, depriving them of the benefits of breastfeeding,” she said.
Ms Mathias said the Ministry of Health and Child Care recommends breastfeeding for up to two years to provide babies with adequate nutrition and lifesaving antibodies as well as deepen the bond between mother and child that results in happy and healthy children.
The Mangwe couple’s children do not attend school as the couple is struggling to support the large family.
Their children were born in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, followed by triplets in 2018 and the youngest in 2022.
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Londile Moyo