Male Hormonal Contraceptives: Associations Between Students’ Perception of and Trust in Usage and Endorsement of Gender Norms

Authors

Zoe Keese, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

Spring 3-12-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Keese, Z. (2023). Male Hormonal Contraceptives: Associations Between Students’ Perception of and Trust in Usage and Endorsement of Gender Norms. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright Zoe Keese 2023.

Abstract

As clinical trials continue to test the safety and efficacy of new male contraceptive options, evaluating attitudes towards them is critical in expanding access to reproductive healthcare. The present study sought to investigate the relationship of endorsement of traditional masculine and feminine gender norms with attitudes towards male hormonal contraceptive pills. Using a Qualtrics survey, 45 participants rated their attitudes towards different measures, including attitude towards the male contraceptive pill, willingness to use male hormonal contraception, and endorsement of traditional masculine and feminine gender norms. The results of the survey indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between endorsing feminine gender norms and positive attitudes towards male contraception, and the same trend held true for trust in men’s usage of the pill. Moreover, those who more strongly endorsed feminine norms reported more trust in men’s use of male contraceptives even when accounting for gender as a covariate. However, there were no significant bivariate relationships between conformity to male gender norms and attitude towards male contraception nor trust in men’s ability to use it correctly. Due to a small sample size of men in the study, we were unable to run predictive analyses related to their willingness to use male hormonal contraceptive pills. Overall, the study highlights what previous studies had found — women are more likely to endorse use of male hormonal contraception (Eberhardt et al., 2009), as well as highlighting the need for further investigation into what existing attitudes towards male contraceptive pills are shaped by.