Forms of (dis)engagement: abortion among adult men in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

This paper analyses sociological dimensions influencing the abortion decision-making process, drawing on a larger anthropological study of the affective-sexual, contraceptive and reproductive trajectories of women and men, of different social classes and generations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We explore 15 in-depth interviews with men aged 40-49 about their partners’ pregnancy and voluntary abortion. Two arguments are discussed: (1) the crucial role of gender and class position in determining male behaviors with regard to abortion by a partner; 2) men´s externality in relation to the event as a gender-structuring trait in different generations. Producing analytical reflections to understand how relational ways influence reproductive decisions in the context of conjugality or outside it sheds light on many difficulties that surround abortion in general and the male role in this tensioned scenario.

Key-words:
abortion; men; gender and health; sexuality; contraception