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Supported motherhood? An examination of the cultural context of male participation in maternal health care among tribal communities in India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2019

Suresh Jungari Open the ORCID record for Suresh Jungari [Opens in a new window]  and
Balram Paswan
Suresh Jungari*
Affiliation:
Interdiciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Balram Paswan
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
*
*Corresponding author. Email: sureshjungariiips@gmail.com
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Abstract

In many cultural settings worldwide, within families, men tend to be responsible for important choices relating to the allocation of household resources and care-seeking behaviour that directly impact on the health of women and newborns. This study examines the extent of male participation in antenatal care (ANC), delivery, postnatal care (PNC), household chores and providing food to wives among tribal communities in India. In addition, health care providers’ views on male participation in maternal health were examined. Primary data were collected from 385 men aged 15–49 from rural Gadchiroli District in Maharashtra, India. Interviews of 385 men whose wives had delivered a child within the previous 2 years were conducted between November 2014 and March 2015. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done. The results showed that the tribal men’s participation in maternal health care was minimal. Around 22% of the men reported accompanying their wives to ANC, 25% were present at the time of delivery of their children and 25% accompanied their wives to PNC. Participation in household work, and support for wives in other ways, were slightly better. The main reason given by men for not participating in maternal health care was that they didn’t think it was necessary, believing that all maternal health issues were women’s concern. Health care providers among these tribal communities in India should encourage men to participate in issues related to maternal health care.

Keywords

Maternal health careMale participationTribal men
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , May 2020 , pp. 452 - 471
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019

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