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International Market Research: ​Background & Study Objectives

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Are men interested in birth control methods for themselves? Will their female partners trust men to use contraception?

Sections:

Context

​Study Objectives

Key Questions

​Respondent Characteristics

Men’s interest in male birth control and whether or not female partners would trust men to use birth control are arguably the most prominent and persistent questions impacting the field of male contraception research and development, and they are the impetus for this market research study.

Study Context

The focal point of this study was to answer this question: Does sufficient latent demand exist in key markets for Male CTs?

  • Currently, there are only 2 male-controlled contraceptive technology (CT) methods (condoms and vasectomy) versus 18 for women.
  • There have been observed significant pockets of use of male method use but data is sparse for reasons or context for use.
  • Experts hypothesized that new male methods in the portfolio could:
    • Have a high impact on reducing the number unintended pregnancies worldwide
    • Improve gender equity of contraceptive usage in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and developed countries alike
  • Nearly all research funding focused on developing female CT pipeline
  • There is a considerable pipeline of male methods under development despite low funding

Should we consider exploring male CTs? What might be their potential impact? There is not enough data around latent demand for male CTs available and, consequently, there is a need for robust baseline data that facilitates making preliminary go/no go decisions on further exploration of male CT targets and products.

Study Objectives

The purpose of this study was to assess latent demand for potential male Contraceptive Technology (CT) attributes / products on the 5-to 30-year development horizon to inform funding and development decisions among funders and development community stakeholders.

The research objectives were to:

  • Assess the overall interest in and attitudes about Male CT among men across geographies that account for more than 50% of unmet need for family planning (FP) in FP2030 countries
  • Identify male CT product attribute preferences, and attribute clusters (TPPs) most preferred
  • Cluster-segment men according to their Male CT attribute preferences and who they are; size and profile segments
  • Assess trade-offs made by female partners in their FP method use if men use Male CTs; input into overall mCPR impact modeling
  • Provide male user-based demand data as inputs into demand forecast and impact modeling

Key Questions

Understanding participant responses to the following questions about demand for Male Contraceptive Technologies was critical to the study:

Respondent Characteristics

Participants were men, ages 18-60 who had engaged in sexual activity with one or more women within the past year, and those who are able to father children based on self reporting. Participants currently approach contraception in a wide variety of ways: from using modern methods to nothing at all.

Table summarizing survey sample sizes, genders, ages, religions, and marital status for seven countries: Bangladesh, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Vietnam, and the US for a study on male contraception.

Key Respondent Characteristics
Bar charts showing age distribution and marital status of male respondents from seven countries. Age groups 25-34 and 35-44 are most common. Vietnam has the highest percentage of married men; the US has more never-married respondents.

Respondent Characteristics: Age & Marital Status
Bar charts showing the frequency of sex and number of sex partners in the past year for men in Bangladesh, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Vietnam, and the US, with data divided by different frequencies and partner counts.

Respondent Characteristics: Frequency of Sex & Number of Sex Partners (Previous 12 Months)
Bar chart comparing percentages of different contraceptive methods used in seven countries, with each method color-coded. Methods include condoms, pills, implants, injections, sterilization, and not using contraception.

Respondent Characteristics: Current Contraceptive Method Mix
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Research Partners

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Funding Partners

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Contact

For more information regarding this study, please reach out to us at contact@malecontraceptive.org or fill out this contact form:

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