The Role of Men in Women’s Health Awareness

Women’s health is not a women’s issue. It is a societal responsibility. The wellbeing of women determines the wellbeing of families, communities, and economies. When women are healthy, the world is stronger.

Yet too often, men have been distant from these conversations not out of disregard, but out of tradition. In many cultures, reproductive and maternal health have been considered private or “feminine” domains. That separation has carried a cost.

A 2024 review found that in several low- and middle-income countries, fewer than one in four men had ever accompanied their partners to antenatal or postnatal appointments. Excluding men does not help because it diminishes awareness and grows stigma. When they are invited to participate, outcomes improve for both mother and child.

Understanding and Empathy

Awareness begins with understanding. Many men simply have never been taught how women’s bodies change through the stages of life, like menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and everything in between. That gap in knowledge perpetuates silence, and silence can become a barrier to care.

Education must therefore move beyond classrooms and clinics into conversations between spouses, friends, colleagues, and community leaders. Awareness is often mistaken for instruction, however, it is more about empathy.  It is sitting beside a partner during a mammogram. It is listening with compassion when a colleague discusses endometriosis or perinatal depression. It is recognizing that women’s health encompasses not just biology but lived experience.

Partnership, Not Permission

The role of men in advancing women’s health is grounded in partnership. Fathers, brothers, colleagues, and leaders can help dismantle the barriers that keep women from seeking or receiving care. They can normalize open dialogue, encourage preventive screenings, and use their influence to ensure resources reach those who need them most.

A 2025 analysis in PLOS Global Public Health found that when men are intentionally engaged through gender-transformative approaches, women’s physical and mental health outcomes measurably improve. But awareness alone is not enough. Engagement must lead to shared accountability.

Leading with Empathy

Men in leadership positions hold the power to shape systems that value inclusivity. When executives implement family-friendly policies or physicians advocate for maternal health funding, they send a clear signal that women’s wellbeing is a public priority.

True leadership in this space does not compete with women’s voices; it amplifies them. It recognizes that equity in health begins with equity in understanding. 

Building a Culture of Shared Care

When men step forward as allies, they help transform culture itself. They model respect, compassion, and partnership. They show that caring for women’s health is not an act of charity — it is an act of justice.

Such engagement creates ripple effects across families and institutions. It normalizes empathy, strengthens relationships, and redefines masculinity as inclusive, not detached. Every man who chooses to understand rather than avoid becomes part of a movement that makes awareness a way of life.

The future of women’s health depends on collaboration. Men have an irreplaceable role to play and cannot be bystanders in issues that require their partnership in awareness, advocacy, and change.

When they listen, systems shift. When they act, barriers fall. When they care, everyone benefits.

Because women’s health is not a women’s issue. It is a human one.

With gratitude,

Dr. Lilian O. Ebuoma
The Inspirer