Rethinking Gender, Men and Masculinity: Representations of Men in the South Asian Reproductive and Sexual Health Literatures

In global public health and international development, there is a growing emphasis on engaging with and addressing men in relation to gender and health. In the reproductive and sexual health arena, however, relatively little research to date has focused on men in South Asian contexts. In this paper we explore this issue in the context of South Asia with the aim of moving beyond somewhat stereotypical and essentialist representations of men to suggest more productive modes of engagement— both in the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) literature and with respect to policy and programs within the region. To do this, we draw on the work of Raewyn Connell and Judith Butler among others to advance new understandings of men and masculinity in relation to SRH in South Asian contexts. We contrast these against recurrent patterns in representations of men in the existing literature and interrogate some of the assumptions underpinning such representations. We argue that there is a need to re-think men, gender and sexual health in South Asian contexts, and highlight some profitable ways of doing so, drawing on international experience to date.