How Engaging Men in Northern Nigeria is Transforming Reproductive Justice, Power, and Choices

Reproductive justice is not just about having health services available. It also means women and girls can reach care in time, use it with dignity, and make choices without coercion, shame, or fear. In many communities, everyday life is shaped by gender expectations, financial pressure, and belief systems that decide what people can talk about openly and what stays hidden. Because of these forces, decisions about contraception, abortion care, or reporting sexual violence are often constrained. Too often, men’s attitudes and actions, at home, in the community, and even in health facilities, strongly influence whether women get the care they need or are turned away.

 

Ipas’ experience in Nigeria and globally is clear: while empowering women is critical, sexual and reproductive health programs have often unintentionally asked women and girls to carry the weight of change. They are expected to learn more, negotiate, and endure while the rules and norms around them stay the same. If we do not also work with men, communities, and institutions to shift harmful norms and rebalance power, progress will remain fragile, and it can be rolled back. In northern Nigeria, the need for this kind of shift is urgent. Women and girls face high risks of maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, early and forced marriage, and gender-based violence (GBV).

To shift these harmful gender norms, Ipas Nigeria partnered with Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development to implement the project – Engaging Men and Young Adults as Advocates to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Outcomes for Women and Girls Project in Bauchi State. Our assumption was simple: in communities where patriarchal norms are strong, engaging men in support of women’s and girls’ SRHR can improve health outcomes and expand choice (WHO, 2019).

Drawing on the project data, community stories, and outcomes, this piece reflects on what we learned in Bauchi and why it matters for reproductive justice in Nigeria.

 

Why men matter for reproductive justice

Bauchi State, like many parts of Nigeria, is shaped by patriarchy, religious authority, traditional leadership, and deep stigma around abortion and contraception. The question we asked was simple: What changes when the people who hold decision-making power are invited intentionally and with accountability to become advocates rather than gatekeepers of women’s and girls’ SRHR?

Guided by the Ipas’ safe abortion and contraception care framework, we focused on how community norms and social support shape the services women can access, drawing from our more than a decade of experience supporting communities to change harmful social norms in the country.