According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a male contraception pill has been deemed safe and could be on the market in 10 years.
After the first one-month study, this pill has been proved to be effective in blocking the hormones needed to make sperm while balancing the drops in male hormones. No major side effect is found within the male participants in this study.
Although this pill needs more precise long-term studies for it to come to the market, this successful study is considered as a major moment in sexual health development.
For decades, the responsibility of contraception is fell mostly on the woman. According to the National Health Statistics Report in 2016, around 60% of all women of reproductive age in the US are currently using a contraceptive method.
Many women, especially college students, might applaud this revolutionary breakthrough in male contraception pill, hoping their partners can share the responsibility of avoiding accidental pregnancy. But the question this raises now is, how many men are willing to take this pill?
We interviewed four male students and three female students from Boston University, asking their opinions on whether if men would be willing to take this contraceptive pill.
Every male interviewee acknowledged the importance of birth control and most of them answer that they would be willing to take this contraceptive pill. One of the male interviewees says "women shouldn't be the only one who has to take it [contraceptive pill]."
On the other hand, most female interviewees speculate the fact that men would actually take this pill, remarking that most men believe birth control is part of a female gender role.
Although the answers are polarized, it is reasonable to believe that the male contraceptive pill could become a sign of gender equality in the near future.