How can policies be designed to successfully improve men and women’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH)? This toolkit supports effective policy development by identifying the proven efficacy of engaging men in SRH, tracing the development of global policies to engage men in SRH, and examining policy issues that need to be addressed for effective engagement with men in SRH and to promote gender equality.

Since promoting gender equality is complex, the authors note that policy makers and programmers require more adequate understandings of gender dynamics. Policy efforts should also appreciate the diversity of male identities, the particular SRH needs of marginalised groups of men, and recognise how men can also be negatively affected by gender norms. The authors argue that guidelines for policies on men’s SRH and gender equality support the much needed impetus and scale up of this work, build the capacity of programmers and policy makers, and facilitate better collaboration among various actors. The toolkit offers detailed guidelines for policymakers and programmers to understand one’s policy context, secure institutional commitment, develop a policy statement on engaging men and boys, review existing policies, work with stakeholders, and to make policy work in practice. The IPPF policy on men and SRH, which can be used as a model for promoting men’s SRH in gender equitable ways, is also provided.