Article type
Abstract
"Migration often exposes people to a range of unfamiliar gender roles and sexual views that influence the ways they care for their sexual and reproductive health. Migrant men’s health is often overlooked in care and research, prohibiting culturally sensitive care opportunities that acknowledge these changing beliefs. Thus, this systematic review focused on the ways that different cultural gender norms and sexual health practices influence a man’s sexual and reproductive health and views of gender after migrating.
We conducted a systematic review of all studies available on scientific databases and grey literature published between January 2000 and September 2023. We included global studies that examined the sexual and reproductive health care needs, care access experiences and outcomes of men from migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker backgrounds in high in-come countries; including, but not limited to contraception, access to (and experience with) sexual health services and fertility.
37 articles were included in our review. Thematic analysis revealed traditional cultural and gender norms influenced the ways in which migrant men engaged in sexual and reproductive health services, viewed masculinity, and approached marriage, divorce, and sex. Being a migrant further influenced their sexual health practices as navigating new cultural norms and gendered expectations was often emasculating.
We found that migrant men largely carried their pre-established beliefs of sex and gender roles, including men holding breadwinner status, from their home country to their host country. This had negative repercussions on their migration experience and health-seeking behaviours and should be acknowledged in future research and interventions. In improving the sexual and reproductive health of men from migrant and refugee backgrounds, it is important for healthcare providers to understand and consider the cultural and gender stereotypes that form the basis of a man’s health-seeking behaviours.
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We conducted a systematic review of all studies available on scientific databases and grey literature published between January 2000 and September 2023. We included global studies that examined the sexual and reproductive health care needs, care access experiences and outcomes of men from migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker backgrounds in high in-come countries; including, but not limited to contraception, access to (and experience with) sexual health services and fertility.
37 articles were included in our review. Thematic analysis revealed traditional cultural and gender norms influenced the ways in which migrant men engaged in sexual and reproductive health services, viewed masculinity, and approached marriage, divorce, and sex. Being a migrant further influenced their sexual health practices as navigating new cultural norms and gendered expectations was often emasculating.
We found that migrant men largely carried their pre-established beliefs of sex and gender roles, including men holding breadwinner status, from their home country to their host country. This had negative repercussions on their migration experience and health-seeking behaviours and should be acknowledged in future research and interventions. In improving the sexual and reproductive health of men from migrant and refugee backgrounds, it is important for healthcare providers to understand and consider the cultural and gender stereotypes that form the basis of a man’s health-seeking behaviours.
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