It is no secret that the burden of birth control is often placed on women. This is often blamed on the lack of effective methods of male birth control. Common complaints include abstinence being difficult to maintain long-term, condoms “interrupting the mood,” and vasectomies costing too much. In 1979, however, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology created a new, non-hormonal, non-invasive, and cost-effective form of male birth control with an efficacy rate that rivals current popular forms of female birth control.
RISUG is a single injection, found to be over 99% effective, that can be reversed at any time. It also proves effective for over ten years with no long-term side effects. RISUG is a non-hormonal form of contraception that works by simply creating a positively-charged, acidic environment in the body. While the injection is not dangerous to the body itself, it causes sperm to become infertile.
The contraceptive is currently in phase III clinical study in India and is proving to be highly successful. RISUG counteracts concerns that arise with other forms of male birth control; it maintains the spontaneity of sex, has no side effects, is inexpensive and noninvasive, and its effects last for over a decade. So, why isn’t this everywhere?
Unsurprisingly, the culprits are profit and misogyny.
When RISUG distribution was suggested to countries outside of India, pharmaceutical companies weren’t very interested. Female contraceptives and condoms bring in a lot of money because of their popularity and the necessity of using them habitually. An inexpensive, one-time procedure will not make the pharmaceutical companies the same amount of money that a monthly oral birth control pill packet will.
Distribution internationally is also hindered by the expectation that women will take on the responsibility of contraception. A 2014 study found that “amongst 13-15-year-olds […] 73% of girls thought that contraception was a joint responsibility [whereas] only 46% of boys did.” According to a 2010 study, the decision is often completely left up to the woman: “Often, young men leave it up to their girlfriend to decide whether or not to use condoms and,” according to a 2011 study: “if women do not insist on use of a condom, safe sex is not practiced” This comes down to a societal understanding that women are solely responsible for their own risk of pregnancy and intertwines with a culture of slut shaming. A 2007 study “found that Swedish boys trusted girls to use hormonal or emergency contraception as they were felt to be more responsible for pregnancy prevention than boys” . Another study featuring interviews with 24 teenage women found that many boys assume their partner has already taken responsibility for contraception and “don’t think about it”: “‘A lot of boys just assume, ‘oh I thought you was on the pill, I thought you would’ve been.’ Well I’m not, [laughs] so …. Yeah, a lot of them just assume, don’t they?’”
While contraceptives are usually left up to the woman, they can also be slut-shamed for taking that responsibility: “it becomes difficult to plan to have safe sex (i.e., sex where precautions are taken, usually to protect against STIs and pregnancy),” Brown’s study found, “as planning to have sex may lead to getting a ‘reputation’. This can be critical for young women, as they can very easily become labeled as ‘cows’, ‘sluts.’”
A culture of misogyny and craving for profit are preventing a revolutionary form of birth control from being distributed in the U.S.. Some men, however, are taking contraceptive responsibility into their own hands.
Interest in vasectomies has rapidly increased since the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24. One doctor reported a 900% increase in inquiries over four days after the decision was released. Vasectomies are just as if not more effective than other forms of birth control and, unlike female sterilization, are reversible.
Despite these factors, according to 2015 estimates by the United Nations, female sterilization is twice as prevalent as male sterilization “the lack of modern methods of contraception for men does not, however, explain the low prevalence of male sterilization, given that the vasectomy is more effective, less expensive to perform, and has fewer complications than female sterilization.”
In our current political and economic position, it, unfortunately, seems that women will still bear the burden of contraceptive responsibility. As the Roe v. Wade decision begins to affect more people around the U.S., men may begin to feel the pressure and understand their role in contraceptive responsibility.