Male dominance in family planning and women’s limited control over reproductive decisions must be addressed as part of efforts to tackle postpartum depression, Fiji Medical Association (FMA) treasurer Dr Ahmed Shakeel says.
Speaking at a postpartum depression workshop yesterday, Dr Shakeel said women were often left to manage the financial and emotional demands of raising children without adequate support from their partners.
“Allow women the time to decide, to know when they are ready to conceive, and then conceive at a time that is convenient to them,” he said.
“That’s the first step.”
Dr Shakeel questioned how often women had a meaningful say in decisions about family size, arguing that men frequently dominated these discussions.
“Decisions are simply laid on women.”
He said the pressure could be particularly difficult for women who became pregnant while facing financial hardship or raising other children without a supportive partner.
Dr Shakeel said involving fathers in antenatal appointments and labour was not enough if they were unwilling to provide support, adding that some partners remained absent regardless of efforts to include them.
He called for stronger family planning services and counselling to help women make informed decisions about pregnancy and prepare for parenthood when they felt ready.
“We should start giving more power to our women.”
He said empowering women to participate in reproductive decisions was an important step towards addressing the circumstances that can contribute to postpartum depression.
