Men\u27s Perceptions of Autonomous Reproductive Choices

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Reproductive coercion (RC) impacts approximately 10.1 million women in he U.S. It is a specific form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that refers to behaviors from a partner through the use of fear or control that undermines the ability to make autonomous decisions regarding reproductive health. Because homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in the U.S., the consequences of leaving RC unaddressed underscore the need for additional research to focus on obtaining a clearer definition of RC and correlates of this form of violence. Moreover, despite being frequently cited as a necessary research direction, studies have seldom assessed men’s perceptions of RC. METHODS: This study developed a vignette-based measure of perceptions of RC through expert panels and cognitive interviews. Once the measure was developed, a national sample of heterosexual men ages 18-40 using the online market research platform, Prime Panels (n=323) was used to examine men’s perceptions of RC and how those perceptions may differ by known predictors of other forms of sexual violence via a cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: The developed vignette measure showed strong psychometric properties as evidenced by an Exploratory Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Two multiple linear regressions were used to examine relationships between variables and how changes in values of rape myth acceptance, sexual double standards, gender role norms and hostile sexism collectively explain the change in men’s perceptions of reproductive coercion while accounting for relevant control variables. Rape myth acceptance and rigid gender role norms were significantly associated with men’s perceptions of pregnancy coercion. Rape myth acceptance and rigid gender role norms were also significantly associated with men’s perceptions of condom manipulation. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that condom manipulation and pregnancy coercion are distinct constructs, although they both fall under reproductive coercion. Men’s adherence to rape myths and rigid gender roles should be qualitatively explored further to gain a deeper understanding of how this may shape their perceptions of this specific form of violence