Objective: To assess men's role on fertility and their attitudes towards family planning, to compare in which ways and to what extent they differ from their wives/partners and its implications for future family planning programs.


Design: The study involved a cross-sectional comparative study design. Both closed and open-ended questionnaires were used.


Subject: The study included couples of the reproductive age group, who were married or in union for greater than six months at the time of the survey. Four hundred and ten respondents (205 men and 205 wives/partners) were included.


Setting: sub-Districts-Mekelle and Kuha (urban and semi-urban) in Tigray, Ethiopia.


Main outcome measures: Couples' fertility intentions, ideal mean family size preferences and attitude towards family planning.


Results: The study for the two sample proportions showed that Tigrian men in general wanted a greater number of children than their wives/partners (2=11.08, df=1,P