Caring Men? Husbands' Involvement in Maternal Care of Young Wives

Analysis of a survey area in Maharashtra shows that a majority of husbands were knowledgeable about prenatal, delivery and postnatal care. Men were often excluded from participating in routine care because the medical system does not accommodate them and the community considers maternal care as exclusively women's domain. Young, newly married women experience pregnancy and childbearing in an environment where they have little or no autonomy in decision-making, finances or mobility to seek care. Thus, it may be crucial to get husbands involved, since they are often the decision-makers, the ones who have to accompany the young woman to a clinic and the ones who pay for care.