Thematic analysis of 36 articles revealed that migrant men largely carried pre-established beliefs of sex and gender roles from their home country to their host country, which had mainly negative repercussions on their relationships and SRH behaviours post-migration.
Key Findings
Methods
A scoping review of 36 articles identified three key themes influencing how migrant men viewed masculinity, engaged in SRH services and approached sexual relationships after migration to high-income countries.
Systematic search of scientific databases and grey literature published between 2000-2023 was conducted.
Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts of 7,840 articles and reviewed the full text of 180 articles.
Final inclusion consisted of 36 articles subjected to thematic analysis.
The three themes identified were: (a) depleted masculinity, (b) sex and sexuality, and (c) accessing SRH care in a new country.
Results
Navigating new cultural norms and gendered expectations post-migration often resulted in feelings of depleted masculinity among migrant men.
Depleted masculinity was identified as a key theme emerging from the thematic analysis.
Feelings of depleted masculinity impacted men's wellbeing, intimate relationships, and confidence to seek SRH care after migration.
Migration exposed men to unfamiliar gender roles and sexual views that conflicted with pre-established identities.
These feelings were linked to disruptions in traditional masculine roles and expectations in the host country.
Results
Migrant men largely carried pre-established beliefs about sex and gender roles from their home country to their host country.
Sex and sexuality was identified as a distinct thematic category in the analysis.
Pre-established beliefs about sex and gender roles were not readily abandoned upon migration.
These carried beliefs had mainly negative repercussions on men's relationships and SRH behaviours post-migration.
The persistence of home-country norms influenced how men engaged in sexual relationships in the resettlement country.
Results
Accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care in a new country was identified as a distinct challenge for migrant men.
Accessing SRH care in a new country was one of the three major themes identified through thematic analysis.
Depleted masculinity was found to impact men's confidence to seek SRH care after migration.
Migrant men's health is described as overlooked in both care and research, prohibiting culturally responsive care.
The review focused specifically on migration to high-income countries, covering the refugee and migrant male population.
Discussion
Migrant men's sexual and reproductive health is an under-researched area that requires acknowledgment in future research and interventions.
The authors note that migrant men's health is 'overlooked in care and research, prohibiting culturally responsive care that acknowledges these changing beliefs.'
The review used a search strategy covering four major topics: CALD/migrants, men, gender, and SRH.
The authors call for future research and interventions to acknowledge the negative repercussions of pre-established gender norms on SRH behaviours post-migration.
The study scope was limited to migration to high-income countries and publications from 2000 to 2023.
What This Means
This research reviewed 36 scientific studies to understand how gender beliefs and norms influence the sexual and reproductive health of men who migrate to high-income countries. The researchers found that when men move to a new country, they tend to bring deeply held ideas about masculinity, gender roles, and sexuality from their home countries with them. When these beliefs clash with the norms of their new country, many men experience a sense of 'depleted masculinity' — a feeling that their identity and status as men has been undermined — which negatively affects their wellbeing, their relationships with partners, and their willingness to seek health care.
The review identified three main areas of impact: how men experience their sense of masculinity after migration, how their views on sex and sexuality shape their behavior, and how these factors affect whether and how they access sexual and reproductive health services. Across all three areas, carrying pre-migration gender norms into a new cultural context was found to have predominantly negative consequences for men's health and relationships.
This research suggests that health services in countries that receive migrants and refugees are missing an important opportunity by not accounting for the role of gender norms in men's health-seeking behavior. Culturally responsive care — care that acknowledges how masculine identity and gender expectations shape men's health choices — could improve health outcomes for this often-overlooked population. The authors call for future research and health interventions to specifically address these dynamics.
Castleton P, Mirzaei Damabi N, Begum M, Mengesha Z, Lassi Z. (2025). The influence of gender norms on post-migration men's sexual and reproductive health: A scoping review.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322312