Factors affecting men's participation in development group activities a case of Simanjiro district

This study analyzed the factors influencing low men's participation and has used Simanjiro District as the case study. A cross-sectional design was employed in obtaining data which were collected using focus group discussion, key informants interviews and survey methods. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for quantitative data and Content analysis technique for qualitative data. It was found that men's participation in development group activities was influenced by community norms whereby men viewed groups as women's responsibility. Another factor was the trade-off in terms of time of groups’ activities in relation to other private activities. The study recommended that in order to increase men's participation in development groups, men's awareness should be raised against the attitude that groups are a women thing, and planners and other development partners should design gender sensitive and motivating programmes to incentivise men to take part in groups.