Male partners’ roles in women’s contraceptive decision-making in Nigeria: a secondary qualitative data analysis
4 affiliations
- 1AkenaPlus Health, Abuja, Nigeria
- 2Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria
- 3University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
- 4Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
Abstract
Male partners can play important roles in contraceptive decisions, especially in patriarchal societies like Nigeria, where restrictive gender norms influence women’s reproductive choices. However, little has been explored about how women navigate male influences and its impact on reproductive autonomy. This study explores how Nigerian women perceive and navigate male partner influence in contraceptive decision-making. We conducted a secondary qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 60 women aged 15–45 from Enugu and Plateau States using data from the Innovations for Choice and Autonomy (ICAN) project and conducted in Nigeria as part of a multi-country study. Thematic analysis, guided by a pre-existing codebook examined decision-making, agency, and partner influence. Data were analysed using Dedoose software (version 9.0.62) with emergent themes refined through collaborative coding, independent review and memo writing. The process of contraceptive decision making occurred through three stages. ‘Before’ decision-making, societal norms shaped women’s perceptions, reinforcing men dominance as the heads of the home expected to make decisions. ‘During’ the decision-making process, women used strategies such as persuasion, joint decision-making or third-party involvement to align their partners’ views with theirs. However, male partners often asserted significant influence by insisting that women comply with their preferences, constraining women’s agency. In the ‘after’ stage, supportive partnerships emerged when couples communicated openly and shared their views. In relationships with dominant gender roles, women often complied with husbands’ preferences, and in some cases resorted to covert contraceptive use to avoid conflict. The process of contraceptive decision-making among Nigerian women is influenced by normative beliefs, negotiation strategies, and women’s agency. While male dominance often constrains autonomy, some women navigate these barriers through persuasion, negotiation, or covert use to exercise reproductive autonomy. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive approaches that promote open dialogue, couple-based education and policies that support women’s autonomy while fostering collaborative decision-making.
Related
- Beyond women’s burden: integrating male partners into contraceptive decision-making
- Rising contraceptive use, falling couple concordance: A mixed-methods analysis of the concordance paradox in Nigeria
- Partners’ experiences of induction of labour in inpatient and outpatient settings: a questionnaire-based qualitative study within the Swedish OutPatienT InductiON (OPTION) trial
- Cumulative Vulnerability and Modern Contraceptive Use in Nigeria: A Latent Class Analysis of the 2018 and 2024 Demographic and Health Surveys
- Predicting Contraceptive Discontinuation in Nigeria: A Machine Learning Analysis of Family-Planning Method Adherence Using NDHS 2023-24 Calendar Data
BibTeX
@article{nmadu2026male,
title = {{Male partners’ roles in women’s contraceptive decision-making in Nigeria: a secondary qualitative data analysis}},
author = {Awawu Grace Nmadu and Sneha Challa and Chioma Okoli and Aminat Tijani and Ayobambo Jegede and Ivan Idiodi and Shakede Dimowo and Erica Sedlander and Lauren Suchman and Elizabeth Omoluabi},
journal = {Contraception and Reproductive Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s40834-026-00470-y},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40834-026-00470-y},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Male partners’ roles in women’s contraceptive decision-making in Nigeria: a secondary qualitative data analysis
AU - Awawu Grace Nmadu
AU - Sneha Challa
AU - Chioma Okoli
AU - Aminat Tijani
AU - Ayobambo Jegede
AU - Ivan Idiodi
AU - Shakede Dimowo
AU - Erica Sedlander
AU - Lauren Suchman
AU - Elizabeth Omoluabi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/31
JO - Contraception and Reproductive Medicine
DO - 10.1186/s40834-026-00470-y
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40834-026-00470-y
AB - Male partners can play important roles in contraceptive decisions, especially in patriarchal societies like Nigeria, where restrictive gender norms influence women’s reproductive choices. However, little has been explored about how women navigate male influences and its impact on reproductive autonomy. This study explores how Nigerian women perceive and navigate male partner influence in contraceptive decision-making. We conducted a secondary qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 60 women aged 15–45 from Enugu and Plateau States using data from the Innovations for Choice and Autonomy (ICAN) project and conducted in Nigeria as part of a multi-country study. Thematic analysis, guided by a pre-existing codebook examined decision-making, agency, and partner influence. Data were analysed using Dedoose software (version 9.0.62) with emergent themes refined through collaborative coding, independent review and memo writing. The process of contraceptive decision making occurred through three stages. ‘Before’ decision-making, societal norms shaped women’s perceptions, reinforcing men dominance as the heads of the home expected to make decisions. ‘During’ the decision-making process, women used strategies such as persuasion, joint decision-making or third-party involvement to align their partners’ views with theirs. However, male partners often asserted significant influence by insisting that women comply with their preferences, constraining women’s agency. In the ‘after’ stage, supportive partnerships emerged when couples communicated openly and shared their views. In relationships with dominant gender roles, women often complied with husbands’ preferences, and in some cases resorted to covert contraceptive use to avoid conflict. The process of contraceptive decision-making among Nigerian women is influenced by normative beliefs, negotiation strategies, and women’s agency. While male dominance often constrains autonomy, some women navigate these barriers through persuasion, negotiation, or covert use to exercise reproductive autonomy. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive approaches that promote open dialogue, couple-based education and policies that support women’s autonomy while fostering collaborative decision-making.
SN - 2055-7426
ER -