Just as the medical world finally announces an alternative to female contraception, men have decided that already, it's just not for them. They have reverted back into their shells stating that it is a "woman's job to stay protected". Just so we're clear, they're talking about women being protected from THEIR own sperm. They've pulled out of clinical trials after complaints about acne, low libido and pretty much all of the symptoms women have dealt with on hormonal contraception. Faced with what women have been dealing with since the average age of 16, they just couldn't hack it. Poor babies.
Most women reading this will be infuriated with the hypocrisy and laziness displayed by these men. The contraceptive pill was in fact, way back when, actually supposed to be for men, but it was palmed off on women. We were left to deal with huge weight gain, spots, and mood swings akin to some kind of horny, angry, swamp troll. Not to mention the amount of money spent on chocolate to try and curb those rocketing hormones. Men got it easy with enough free condoms you could shake a stick at. If you want to enter the debate about female condoms being as easy and carefree, don't, because it is literally like shoving a greasy plastic bag up your vagina. Not easy. Not sexy. Not viable.
One of the main fears with contraception is the utmost responsibility of the individual. As a woman, it is imperative you remember to take your pill every single day, otherwise, you are at a serious risk of getting pregnant. No offence to men, but when placing that thought in your head, would you trust them with that kind of responsibility? I'm a huge feminist, and the idea of women being totally responsible for what is essentially a two party problem is ridiculous. But does that mean I think I would trust a man to be as responsible with contraception as I am? I don't think so.
As much as I think it would be great for women to be able to share the load (no pun intended), I'm not sure if it would be the best of ideas when coupled with teenage immaturity and lots of casual, drunken sex. A survey from Anglia Ruskin University seems to on the whole, agree with me. 50 per cent of women said they would not trust men to take the male pill if it existed. One guy commented on an article surrounding male birth control saying: "I heard it's 95 per cent effective. Does that mean 1 in every 20 f*cks makes a baby? That's not so great." ... The numerical scale in which this gentleman is calculating probability of making a baby is "1 in every 20 f*cks". The worst thing is that this individual knows how sordid his language is, because for the benefit of everyone who can grasp a basic understanding of English swear words, he includes an asterisks. Are we really going to trust people who a) view a sexual encounter with you as a 'F*ck' and b) judging their odds on possibly getting a woman pregnant via a 'f*ck' scale...
Now of course this particular lovely character it not representative of all man kind. He's one of a select few. However the attitude surrounding contraceptives is one of a judgmental one towards women.
Women have been taught how to use contraceptives since they were around 14 years old. I knew how to take the pill before I knew how to put a condom on a boy. Most women who are taking the pill in their late twenties are veterans. They know exactly how to monitor what point they are at in terms of when their rest bleed will be occurring, they know exactly what to do in the event of vomiting or a missed day. Taking the pill, or being on any contraceptive is a huge responsibility. The way men reacted to even the side effects of contraception, makes me very skeptical that they would handle the enormous pressure that comes with taking regular contraception. I would love to live in an ideal world where men could be trusted to take contraceptives, but as far as this entire study has shown, I don't think we're anywhere near ready.