The fact that there are only two methods of contraception currently available to men (condoms and vasectomies) places a lot of the responsibility regarding contraceptive methods on women. Condoms are not as reliable as using the pill, injection or the implant, and sometimes there is an element of pressure to not use them if a woman is already on the pill, for reasons of convenience or pleasure. Vasectomies are most commonly associated with older men as a permanent form of contraception, and rarely an option for young men who may want to have children in the future.
The inconsistency of male and female contraception available produces an aspect of gender inequality that affects both men and women. For women for example, having to take the pill and deal with its side effects may feel like a burden or an unequal distribution of the responsibility of preventing pregnancy. This potentially influences men’s attitudes towards both contraception and pregnancy, as having no comparable methods of contraception leaves a lack of mutual understanding of the process and its effects. Does this make men less aware or concerned of the risk of pregnancy? Perhaps if taking/getting contraception is not your role then it is not as much at the forefront of your mind. Perhaps this makes it easier to perceive prevention of pregnancy as primarily a woman’s responsibility. However, men may also feel less in control of the consequences of their own sexual activity. The lack of a male contraceptive pill, injection, implant etc. not only puts more pressure on women when it comes to sexual experiences, but at times can mean a man may feel powerless to prevent pregnancy – especially if a condom splits and therefore fails as contraception.
A study in 2016 recorded the effects of a contraceptive injection in 320 men. This study was widely discussed in the media as the severe side effects that prevented its continued development seemed very similar to those experienced by women on the pill. It was found that 16.9% of the men in the study reported some form of emotional disorder. 2.8% were found to experience a depressed mood/depression. Another study, with a much larger sample size of 1 million women in Denmark, found women who used hormonal contraceptives, particularly adolescents, were much more likely to also then take anti-depressants. Compared with non-users, women and teenage girls aged 15 to 34 who used hormonal contraception were 23% more likely to be diagnosed with depression, and this increased to 80% more likely when just comparing adolescents. Not only are the side effects similar for both men and women, but in the male study over three-quarters of the men and their partners said that they would be happy to continue with the use of the male injection. However, it was also found that around 5% of the men did not recover their sperm count after one year of having stopped the injections, which is perhaps the reason for the halt of the study rather than the other side effects reported in the media.
The similarities in side effects provides an argument that men should also be able to use similar contraceptive methods, as the side effects deemed too serious for male use are the same side effects that many women struggle with. On the other hand, rather than expressing that men should not be excused from experiencing these side effects, maybe we should be raising an awareness of the link between depression and female contraception to bring about a change for women. We shouldn’t expect men to experience depression just because women do, and we also shouldn’t remain passive about the depression that women experience due to contraception.
Although there needs to be a development of a male contraception that would make preventing pregnancy more of a shared responsibility, there also needs to be increased research into providing an option for women that doesn’t cause serious side effects. There at least needs to be a raised awareness of the impact, particularly in adolescents, that contraception has on mental health, which in itself would be a step forward for gender equality.