ArticleGlobal health action2017
Perceptions about the cultural practices of male partners during postpartum care in rural Tanzania: a qualitative study.
Article in Global health action, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Barriers to the participation of men in reproductive health care: a systematic review and meta-synthesis.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Assessing husbands' knowledge and willingness regarding postpartum sexual resumption: a study of male partners in the Bongo District.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Factors that influence the uptake of postnatal care from the perspective of fathers, partners and other family members: a qualitative evidence synthesis.BMJ global health · 2023Review
- Multilevel analysis of early resumption of sexual intercourse among postpartum women in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Demographic and Health Survey Data.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Community Perspective of Male Involvement in Maternal Health Care in Uttarakhand, India: A Qualitative Study.Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology of India · 2023Article
- Association of Male Partners' Gender-Equitable Attitudes and Behaviors with Young Mothers' Postpartum Family Planning and Maternal Health Outcomes in Kinshasa, DRC.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Promoting Caregiver Early Childhood Development Behaviors through Social and Behavioral Change Communication Program in Tanzania.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Male partner participation in maternity care and social support for childbearing women: a discussion paper.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Factors associated with early resumption of sexual intercourse among women during extended postpartum period in Northwest Ethiopia: a cross sectional study.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2020Article
- Religious, socio-cultural norms and gender stereotypes influence uptake and utilization of maternal health services among the Digo community in Kwale, Kenya: a qualitative study.Reproductive health · 2020Article
- Community perspectives: An exploration of potential barriers to men's involvement in maternity care in a central Tanzanian community.PloS one · 2020Article
- The Role of Culture in Maintaining Post-Partum Sexual Abstinence of Swazi Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Barriers to men's involvement in antenatal and postnatal care in Butula, western Kenya.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMen play an important role in maternal health. The postpartum period is a critical stage, yet there is a scarcity of research that explores men's involvement during this stage.
objectiveThe aim of the study was to explore male partners' perceptions of the cultural practices during postpartum care in rural Tanzania.
methodsFourteen focus group discussions were conducted with 93 men, with an age range of 19-65 years, in August 2013. The study was conducted in the Kongwa District, located in the Dodoma region in central Tanzania. Qualitative data were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis.
resultsFour categories emerged, namely: 'Men as providers and, occasionally, care takers', 'Men as decision makers', 'Diverse perceptions of sexual abstinence' and 'Barriers for men in using/accompanying partners to use reproductive and child healthcare services'. The cross-category theme 'Men during postpartum: remaining powerful but excluded' refers to how men are in a powerful position above women in different aspects of life. Elderly women played an important role in caring for postpartum mothers and their newborns, but men were the ones making the final decision about where to seek care. Traditional practices isolated men from their partners for a certain period, and enforced sexual abstinence for the women during the postpartum period. However, cultural norms permitted men to engage in extramarital relations. Reproductive and child healthcare services were perceived by men as not welcoming the male partners, and local gender norms discouraged men from accompanying their partners to seek services.
conclusionsIn this study, we found that men perceived their role during the postpartum period as financial providers, decision makers and, occasionally, care givers. Men also held diverse perceptions with regard to sexual abstinence and felt excluded from participating in maternal healthcare services.
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