Seminar on male involvement in reproductive health in Egypt: Summary of research findings and future directions

As more work in the area of male involvement in reproductive health (RH) is expected in Egypt, it is important that researchers and donor agencies become aware of existing studies, topics covered, and main research findings so duplication can be avoided. It is also important that policymakers and program managers learn about the results of existing studies so they can use those results in designing more effective policies to increase male involvement in Egypt. To address this need, the Population Council’s ANE OR/TA Project organized a seminar on “Disseminating Results of Research on Male Involvement in Reproductive Health in Egypt” held on May 4–5, 1998, in Alexandria. Participants included key researchers, program managers, policymakers, and donors. The two-day meeting included plenary sessions as well as discussion groups. The main themes were husband-wife communication and decision-making about FP/RH, perceptions of sexuality, involving men as partners in RH, RH needs of adolescents, and future directions in programs and research to increase male involvement in RH. This report is a summary of the presentations along with comments and suggestions that were made on each topic.