State of World Population 2012 - Country Page List - UNFPA

when. The proportion of never-married adults is
steadily increasing in all parts of the world, placing
new obligations on States to meet the family
planning needs of older people (United Nations,
Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
2009). In their older years, women and men
have unmet need for “mature-friendly” services.
Male fertility declines very gradually over a
period of many years (Guttmacher Institute,
2003, cited in Barker and Pawlak, 2011). Fertile
long after females, older men often lack support
for preventing high-risk pregnancies in their
relationships, many of which occur with younger
women. With greater numbers of single men and
women having sex after marriage and marital dissolution,
a complementary focus on educating
older men about the benefits and availability of
all methods, including condoms and no-scalpel
vasectomy, could empower elders with resources
to prevent unintended, high-risk pregnancies in
older age, thereby protecting older women’s
right to health.
Low rates of unintended pregnancy
and abortion among young people
in the netherlands
The Netherlands has addressed the obstacles to young people’s access
in a variety of ways (Greene, Rasekh and Amen, 2002). Among the
changes of note were: Comprehensive sex education in primary and
secondary schools that includes instruction on relationships, values
clarification, sexual development, skills for managing healthy sexuality,
and tolerance for diversity, for which teachers receive regular training
in content and instructional approaches; the provision of quality
information to parents, family doctors, youth-friendly clinics and the
media; patient-doctor confidentiality, even among young adolescents;
and explicit and humorous national campaigns on sexual health. The
theme running through the policy commitment to youth sexual and
reproductive health in the Netherlands is that laws should address
reality, not ideology (Ketting, 1994). In short, the government responded
to the needs and rights of young people with policies that ensure their
access to information and services. The Netherlands now has among the
lowest rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion in the world.
3 Males
Men and women in heterosexual relationships
can be partners in discussing the timing and
spacing of children. Nonetheless, the needs
and participation of men and boys in family
planning has received little attention relative to
their roles as supportive partners for women’s
health (Barker and Pawlak, 2011). Considering
the evidence and the increased awareness about
the importance of engaging men and boys in
health and gender equality, national responses
to the interlinked family planning needs of both
women and men remain limited in scale and in
scope (Barker et al., 2010).
A growing body of evidence over the last 20
years has demonstrated that harmful gender
norms influence attitudes and behaviours among
boys and men, with negative consequences for
women and girls and men and boys themselves
(Barker, Ricardo and Nascimento, 2007; Barker
et al., 2011). This same programme research
across diverse settings has noted that boys and
men can and often do adopt gender-equitable
attitudes and behaviours that support improved
health for themselves, their partners, and their
families. This insight is increasingly informing
family planning policies and programmes.
In addition, several international conventions
and agreements including the Programme
of Action of the ICPD affirm the importance
of men’s participation in family life, including
sexual and reproductive health and family
planning. More governments now engage in
policy dialogue around men’s roles in sexual and
reproductive health, and greater numbers of
development practitioners integrate gender into
programme designs.
The international community has acknowledged
that male partners can exert considerable
influence in couples’ fertility preferences
(UNFPA, 1994; Bankole and Singh, 1998).
54 CHAPTER 3: CHALLENGES IN EXTENDING ACCESS TO EVERYONE