Opening up the gendered box on the right to choose: young men’s experiences and decision-making in relation to an unintended pregnancy in their lives

While this research identifies the influential role of men in women’s decision-making, little is known about men’s own experiences of pregnancy resolution decision-making. <br><br>This research sought to address this gap by exploring young men’s experiences and decision-making in relation to an unintended pregnancy in their lives, whatever the outcome was. A qualitative approach was applied, using semi-structured interviews with ten young men aged 16-24 years.

This thesis provides an insight into how young men experience an unintended pregnancy in their lives, and reflects on what discourses, ideologies and common-sense understandings of ‘maleness’ were informing or influencing these young men’s thinking. Using Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities (CSM) as a theoretical framework, the data suggests that young men’s understandings of unintended pregnancy and their role in decision-making is informed by dominant and emerging notions of masculinity and wider societal and cultural norms in the region.

The notions of masculinity and responsibility that young men draw on are to a greater or lesser extent shaped by norms “values” that are reflective of their ethno-religious cultural and class backgrounds.