Men's own sexual and reproductive health (SRH) was found to be 'a significantly neglected policy issue,' with less than half of analyzed global and regional SRH policies referencing men's SRH and only 16% purposefully outlining steps to address men's own SRH needs.
Less than half of analyzed global and regional SRH policies provided any reference to men's SRH.
When men were included in SRH policies, it was typically for instrumental reasons—to improve women's SRH rather than to address men's own needs.
Policy coverage of men's SRH was best in the context of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, particularly for men who have sex with men.
Only a quarter of the analyzed policies included a focus on one or more vulnerable male sub-groups.
The absence of focus on men's distinct SRH needs in policy limits global understanding, visibility, and funding for men's SRH challenges.
This research suggests that men's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs are largely overlooked in global and regional health policies. In a systematic analysis of 37 major SRH policy documents, researchers found that only 43% even mentioned men's own SRH, compared to 78% that addressed women's SRH. Furthermore, just 16% of policies actually laid out specific steps to address men's needs. When men did appear in these policies, it was usually as a means to improve women's health outcomes—for example, by encouraging men to support family planning—rather than addressing men's health as a goal in itself. The study also found that coverage was especially thin on many important aspects of men's SRH, including contraception, fertility, sexual dysfunction, reproductive cancers, sexual pleasure, and discrimination related to sexual health. While HIV and STI-related policies did somewhat better at including men (particularly men who have sex with men), broader and more diverse men's health concerns were largely absent. Only one in four policies addressed the specific needs of vulnerable male sub-groups, such as older men, disabled men, or transgender people. This research suggests that the current policy landscape treats SRH primarily as a women's issue, which may leave men without adequate access to information and care, while also placing an unfair burden on women to manage reproductive health alone. The authors argue that more inclusive policies—ones that address both men's and women's SRH needs as distinct and important—could improve health outcomes for everyone and help reduce gender inequalities in health care.
Shand T, Evoy C, Baker P, Shattuck D, Cornell M, Griffith D. (2026). Out of focus: limited representation of men's health needs in regional and global sexual and reproductive health policy.. Health policy and planning. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf090