While Belgium is a good student in terms of access to contraceptives, the responsibility and burden of contraceptive use still lies mainly with women, according to a new study by the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
While preventing an unwanted pregnancy should be a shared responsibility of women and men, the responsibility currently lies mainly with women. This has physical, financial and sometimes psychological consequences, and creates a "mental load" in women's minds.
"Unfortunately, options remain limited for men to effectively shoulder some of that burden. The condom is not widely used among young people. And vasectomies still need some good PR, it seems," said Liesbet Stevens, deputy director of the Institute.
"More investment should be made in developing male contraceptive methods. However, female contraception should also be improved, because there are few reliable non-hormonal methods and many methods are still associated with physical or psychological discomfort," she added.
Quest with obstacles
Contraception is inherently linked to women's bodily integrity and self-determination. It is therefore logical that many women do not want to relinquish that control, especially in short-term relationships. In long-term relationships, both women and men are more open to better sharing responsibility and bearing the burden that contraception often entails.
Finding the right contraception is not always easy either. The journey is very personal and varies depending on life stage, lifestyle, personal preferences, financial impact, etc. Additionally, there are few options without inconveniences or hormones.
Many women worry about hormones or fear the pain of certain methods. Additionally, a lot of misinformation circulates on social media, which sometimes leads to a loss of trust in the GP. Some women feel that too little explanation is given about the various options, and that they are not seen as an active discussion partner.
"Interviews with young doctors also reveal that there are no clear guidelines for doctors on how best to approach such a contraception consultation. They are in favour of developing guidelines that take into account lifestyle and patient preferences in addition to medical contraindications," Stevens said.
The contraceptive pill. Credit: Belga/Olivier Matthys
Remarkably, more men than women indicated the need to discuss the topic of contraception more openly in schools. On the one hand, because this topic is not discussed in every household and on the other, because it can be brought in a more reliable and complete way, based on scientific knowledge.
However, the media can also do their bit by talking about contraception in a correct and nuanced way, targeting both boys and girls, and men and women. The study concludes that information on contraception should be provided "earlier, more often and more comprehensively."
"It is essential to talk about this at school, because we do not know if everyone feels comfortable or confident enough to ask questions about this topic at home. Or if the information they get at home is correct," Stevens said. "Some oppose a few hours of sex education in the classroom, even though this also helps prevent unwanted pregnancies and therefore, inherently, concerns the health of girls and women."
