PerryUndem recently came out with a study saying that 52% of men do not feel that they are receiving any kind of benefit from women having access to free contraception. The form of contraception that is specifically being referred to is the birth control pill, which under the ACA, or Obamacare, was made mandatory for employers to cover with the health insurance their employee’s received. This notion will be changing, though in a way unknown with the advent of the new healthcare policy that will be put in place by the Trump administration.

With so many men believing that they have no benefit from women’s contraception, then it is not surprising that they are so quick to make a decision for women, without consulting any at all beforehand. Birth control is attributed to about 30% of the increase in women in the skilled workforce from 1970 to 1990. According to Planned Parenthood, having access to the pill before the age of 21 has been the most influential factor in enabling women already in college to be able to stay. Plus, it has been found that children conceived in areas with more access to contraception are 2-7% more likely to attain 16 or more years of education.

Part of the problem with men not realizing how much they benefit is that many men do not realize how much they would have to pay if they were to have a child. Women cannot conceive immaculately, so men have just as much responsibility as women when it comes to caring for these children. It costs on average $215,449 to raise a child to the age of 18. Though, it is much easier for a man to abandon a pregnant woman than it is for a woman to abandon the pregnancy, and for some reason, it has less stigma to it too.

The problem with all of this is the fact that the men who do not think they are benefitting are looking at this in such a selfish way. All they are seeing is the fact that they do not receive any personal benefits, since they are not the ones paying for the contraception. How differently would they think if instead, the only form of contraception was condoms, and they could only be purchased by men? This way of thinking is so one-sided and leads to much of the oppression that can be found in our society.

Men benefit from women having access to free contraception. Society in general benefits from it. That’s just plain common sense. More skilled women in the workforce, leads to more diversity, not just of people, but also of ideas. If women and men are both able to enjoy their lives, and continue it without the kind of speed bump that an unwanted child can bring, then that means they are able to contribute more freely to the outside world.

An interesting statistic said that 75% of respondents believed that if men were the ones to give birth, then this wouldn’t be an issue at all. Food for thought.