U.S. men's views about women's and men's agency in the abortion decision-making process

Research examining men's public opinion on women's and men's roles in abortion is limited but increasingly important as access to abortion has shifted dramatically in the U.S. In this study, we examined U.S. men's views of women's and men's agency in abortion decision-making. We explored 72 in-depth interviews on abortion attitudes conducted with men in 2021 and identified three main narratives. First, most men indicated that abortion is exclusively a women's decision. Several men noted wanting men's opinions to at least be heard in the decision-making process, while still maintaining that women should be the decision-makers. We identified subtle nuances, including paternalistic and sexist attitudes. Second, several interviewees envisioned the abortion decision as a default joint non-confrontational decision couples make together while dismissing possible tensions that may arise from discrepant views. Third, some interviewees argued that both women and men should have equal agency, claiming there should be a greater role for men than currently exists and disregarding how reproduction inherently falls on women. As the abortion landscape continues to shift post-Dobbs, and the issue of abortion legality is brought directly to voters via ballot initiatives, it is most important to understand people's opinions regarding abortion.