Feminist-identified men were substantially more likely to report Erectile Dysfunction Medication use than non-feminist men; could be that feminist men are more honest about this usage, or that non-feminist ones see using it as a threat to masculinity

Silva, Tony, and Tina Fetner. 2022. “Men’s Feminist Identification and Reported Use of Prescription Erectile Dysfunction Medication.” SocArXiv. February 1. doi:10.1080/00224499.2022.2029810

Abstract: We analyzed data from the 2018 Sex in Canada survey (n = 1,015 cisgender men) to examine the association between feminist identification and reported use of prescription ED medication (EDM) during men’s last sexual encounter. Feminist-identified men were substantially more likely to report EDM use than non-feminist men, even after controlling for alcohol use before sex, erection difficulties, sexual arousal, sexual health, mental health, and physical health. One explanation is that feminist men may use EDM to bolster their masculinity when it is otherwise threatened by their identification as feminist. Another is that non-feminist men may be less likely to use prescription EDM because they view accessing healthcare services as a threat to their masculinity. It is also possible that feminist men are more likely to use EDM because they wish to maintain an erection to better please their partner. Lastly, feminist men may be more honest about EDM use than non-feminist men, even though rates are similar. Regardless of the exact reason, therapists can use these results to tailor sexual health messages to clients based on feminist identification. Future work could employ qualitative methods to understand why feminist men report higher rates of EDM use than non-feminist men.