• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Massey Documents by Type
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • Massey Documents by Type
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Beyond women's empowerment : exploring the role of men in family planning among the Mangkong ethnic group in Lao PDR : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development, Massey University, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand

    Icon
    View/Open Full Text
    LorkuangmingMIntDevThesis.pdf (2.124Mb)
    Abstract
    Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, men’s involvement in family planning (FP) has been actively promoted as the pinnacle to women’s empowerment, and consequently, gender equality. Previous studies have found that when men are involved in FP, they can become more supportive when decisions about reproductive issues need to be made, which has positive implications elsewhere. Laos as an ethnically diverse country, means making FP universally accessible for its people has been challenging. It is especially problematic for ethnic minorities in rural areas where women are more vulnerable and marginalised, resulting in a high level of unmet need for FP among ethnic women. With ethnic minorities even less participation is evident, coupled with the fact there is a paucity of research on topic. This thesis therefore aims to explore the involvement of Mangkong men in FP. The fieldwork was conducted in seven villages in Nong District, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR. The research is qualitative in design and data was collected via semi-structured interviews with 13 couples, two women and five key informants. Other methods included informal observation, used as part of building rapport and learning about gender roles and lifestyle among the Mangkong, as well as document analysis. This study found that men’s involvement as FP service providers raised awareness of FP among men and women, while men’s involvement as targets of FP programmes improved and increased participation in counselling, integrated outreach, for example. However, this suggests that men’s involvement in FP alone cannot increase women’s empowerment unless broader strategic and practical gender needs are also addressed. Theoretically, the study calls for culturally specific models of empowerment, as the empowerment framework adopted in this study, which was based on Western feminist theories, cannot fully explain Mangkong women’s understandings of empowerment. Findings also suggest that if true empowerment in FP is to be achieved, it is necessary to focus on both men and women as individuals, couples and clients who have the rights to access FP information and services, thus meeting their individual needs. Both men and women are necessary agents of change for gender equality.
    Date
    2019
    Author
    Lorkuangming, Vanly
    Rights
    The Author
    Publisher
    Massey University
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10179/15387
    Collections
    • Development Studies
    • Theses and Dissertations
    Metadata
    Show full item record

    Copyright © Massey University
    | Contact Us | Feedback | Copyright Take Down Request | Massey University Privacy Statement
    DSpace software copyright © Duraspace
    v5.7-2023.7-7
     

     

    Information PagesContent PolicyDepositing content to MROCopyright and Access InformationDeposit LicenseDeposit License SummaryTheses FAQFile FormatsDoctoral Thesis Deposit

    Browse

    All of MROCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Copyright © Massey University
    | Contact Us | Feedback | Copyright Take Down Request | Massey University Privacy Statement
    DSpace software copyright © Duraspace
    v5.7-2023.7-7