Focusing on male reproductive health – from neglect to inclusion in the agenda

III. Focus on Male Reproductive Health

Reproductive health is not limited to women's reproductive health; it should also include men's reproductive health. However, due to biological characteristics, men's role is often limited to the initial stages of the reproductive process, while women's role extends throughout the entire process. Therefore, men's reproductive health is often overlooked. In recent years, with the severe prevalence of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, men's participation in reproductive health has gradually become a global concern. Men's reproductive health not only affects their quality of life but also directly impacts women's reproductive health and the harmony of family relationships. From a gender perspective, due to physiological and psychological differences between men and women, men's reproductive health issues should be given sufficient attention.

Male reproductive health spans all stages of a man's life, including childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and menopause. It encompasses a wide range of aspects, including physiological, psychological, and social factors, such as male reproductive physiology, male sexual health, sexual dysfunction, male infertility, and common male diseases. Therefore, men should pay attention to their own reproductive health and enhance their awareness of reproductive health; women should also possess some knowledge of male health and pay attention to the reproductive health of their husbands or sexual partners. From a family perspective, parents should care about the reproductive health of their sons during childhood and adolescence. From a societal perspective, without reducing services for women's reproductive health, there should be increased publicity and services for men's reproductive health, including advocating for attention to men's health and strengthening the dissemination and service of popular science knowledge about men's reproductive health. Since 2000, the National Population and Family Planning Commission has proposed and advocated for the widespread implementation of "Men's Health Day" publicity activities across the country on October 28th each year, with men's sexual and reproductive health as the core content. The "Men's Health Day" publicity activities have played a positive role in raising public awareness of male reproductive health and promoting the improvement of men's reproductive health levels.

From emphasizing women's reproductive health to advocating for men's responsibility and participation, and then to focusing on men's reproductive health, the development and deepening of the concept of reproductive health in China is clearly evident. In fact, these three concepts are not contradictory. Emphasizing women's central role in reproductive health does not negate men's rights and responsibilities. At the same time, promoting men's responsibility and participation not only helps improve men's health but also fosters their sense of responsibility, thereby improving the health of women and children and maintaining family harmony and stability.

Focusing on men's reproductive health and promoting men's responsibility and participation are prerequisites for achieving gender equality in the field of reproductive health. The equal sharing of reproductive decision-making power between the sexes and the establishment of healthy and responsible sexual relationships with their partners are necessary preconditions for men and women to share reproductive health. Whether men's participation in reproductive health contributes to the realization of women's rights and gender equality depends on how men participate and whether a gender perspective is reflected in their involvement. Reflecting a gender perspective in men's reproductive health means enhancing men's sense of family responsibility, achieving gender equality through changing attitudes and behaviors; it means advocating for men's participation in family planning and increasing men's support for women's and children's health; and it means emphasizing men's right to reproductive health without harming women's health interests. Therefore, it is essential to focus on men's reproductive health, promote men's responsibility and participation, and continuously meet the reproductive health needs of men and women throughout their life cycle.