A contraceptive pill for men which lowers sperm production has proved successful in early trials, and if approved, it could help men and women in heterosexual relationships take equal responsibility for contraception - something which would no doubt take some stress off of women who are currently responsible for their prescriptions and daily reminders to pop their pill.
According to a new poll from YouGov, eight in ten Brits think women and men should share responsibility for contraception, but shockingly, a 1/4 of men would “definitely not” be willing to take a male contraceptive pill, with another quarter saying they would “probably” not. Why? Because of potential side effects such as mood swings, bloating and skin problems. You know, all of the side effects that women have been dealing with for years. Yep, that.
Currently, the contraceptive pill is by far the most common form of contraception among young women, and one in three sexually active men who took the survey did say they would consider taking a male version of the pill.
However, the poll also showed that one in three men surveyed are simply uncomfortable with the concept of hormonal contraception, and one in six have never heard of it. Yes - one in six men have never heard of the concept of a male contraceptive.
By contrast, just one in eleven women feel uncomfortable with it, and almost all are aware, with only 2% saying they hadn’t heard of it before. Perhaps that's because women have long been expected to manage contraception and take more drastic routes to ensure that they practise safe sex, with the use of a daily contraceptive pill over condoms.
At the moment, just one in five women think men and women take equal levels of responsibility for contraception, compared to four in ten men. Pretty shocking, right?
Considering that the introduction of the male pill could help balance the gender equality scales when it comes to safe sex, it seems like a step in the right direction for both men and women in the UK. So, in an era where we're edging towards gender equality, why do half of men seem so opposed to it?