Another gender bias: In Gujarat, birth control onus on women

Despite the government’s efforts to encourage men to go in for sterilisation, Indian men continues to view vasectomy with suspicion. As a result, women still far outnumber men when it comes to undergoing sterilisation surgery for family planning.

This is as true of Ahmedabad men as of men in other districts of the state, a fact that is borne out by figures available with the Ahmedabad municipal corporation’s (AMC) urban family welfare department.

The state government promotes vasectomy — the surgical procedure by which the vas deferens in men is cut and tied to sterilise them — as it is a minor surgery involving almost no risk. In contrast, tubectomy — the procedure by which Fallopian tubes are cut and tied to prevent pregnancy — is a major operation, involving elaborate preparation and lengthy hospitalisation.

To encourage men to go in for vasectomy, the government gives men an incentive of Rs200 for motivation and another Rs1,100 for the actual sterilisation surgery.

AMC data for 2011-12 indicates that only 555 men opted for vasectomy against 25,631 women who went in for tubal ligation (i.e, tubectomy). Similarly, in 2010-11, the figures were 643 for vasectomy and 24,284 for tubectomy.

The data raises several questions about the attitude of Indian men towards sterilisation and their apparent indifference towards the health of their wives who, as a result, have to go in for tubal ligation instead.

The incentive amount for tubectomy, on the other hand, is much less. Women below the poverty line are given Rs150 for motivation and Rs600 for tubal ligation. Women above poverty line also get Rs150 for motivation but they are given only Rs250 for the actual surgery.

Sources in the medical fraternity say that money cannot make men go in for vasectomy. The real reason for their reluctance to under to get sterilized is far more complex and largely the result of ignorance. The sources said on the condition of anonymity that the erroneous belief that vasectomy causes a loss of sexual virility is the reason why men do not go in for the sterilisation surgery.

Officials of the government family planning programme try to explain to couples that vasectomy is much safer than tubectomy but men rarely accept their arguments.

Family welfare officer of UFWD, Kinneri Mehta, said that more and more women were opting for tubal ligation to keep their families small.

“We try to convince them that it is their husbands who should go for sterilisation surgery. We also tell them about the incentive scheme under which a man gets more money if he opts for vasectomy,” Mehta said. She added despite their efforts, it was women who turn up for tubectomy mainly due to pressure from family members.