Contraceptive Gap in Indonesia Between Women and Men

Indonesian society still experiences a gap in contraceptive users. Contraceptive use is still dominated by women. BKKBN data shows there are around 76 million families in Indonesia. Of that number, 40 million are couples of reproductive age and around 25 million are active contraceptive users. Meanwhile, male contraceptive users currently number close to 1 million. “More or less, the details are around 920,000 for condoms. Then for vasectomy, around 31,390. So, in terms of percentage, it is indeed still small,” said Wahidin, Deputy for Family Planning and Reproductive Health at the Ministry of Population and Family Development/BKKBN, online on Tuesday (30/6). According to him, the issue of male contraceptive users is also quite complex. “It is constrained, especially by the choice of contraceptive types. For now, there are only two choices for male contraception, condoms and vasectomy, so this is one of the obstacles,” he said. However, he is confident that with various developments in science and technology, it is not impossible that at some point there will also be injectable contraception for men. In addition, Wahidin also highlighted the role of the husband or father as an inseparable part. The role of fathers and husbands can be seen when they accompany their pregnant wives for check-ups with a midwife or doctor. “We educate the husband, essentially we hope that the husband must accompany his wife. From the initial examination until she gives birth,” he said. Men are asked to use contraception after their wife gives birth before 42 days. This is because there are many cases in Indonesia where contraception is not used immediately before 42 days. “So, many cases of pregnancy occur when the baby is not yet 6 months old. If a pregnancy like that occurs, it has the potential to cause stunting,” he concluded.