“It’s Just Too Complex”: How Australian Men Perceive Sharing Responsibility for Contraception With Partners; A Qualitative Study

Limited research explores the role taken by men in preventing pregnancy within their relationships. We conducted 15 qualitative semi-structured online or telephone interviews with childless heterosexual men aged 18–30 and living in Australia. Data were thematically analysed. All men reported pregnancy prevention as a shared responsibility and took steps to achieve this reproductive goal. Men’s involvement in the use of female-controlled contraceptives was seen as complex and in conflict with respecting women’s bodily autonomy. Men’s role in pregnancy prevention was also shaped by social norms, stigma, and cultural factors. Education programs about pregnancy prevention and contraception for men should reflect the complexity of navigating this within heterosexual relationships.