BITING THE BULLET! A DISCURSIVE APPROACH ANALYSIS OF MASCULINITY IN THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CLINIC

Background: Language is the most powerful diagnostic tool available to any doctor. Language provides the doctor with the information needed for appropriate diagnosis hence successful health care service delivery. Culture influences the choice of language in various context such as the hospital. Little is known on the language used by men seeking reproductive health services at the clinic despite so many researches having focused on doctor-patient communication. The focus of this work is the language used by men to describe their reproductive health problems to the doctor. Methods: Participant observation and interview are the data collection tools. Conclusion: Key features of mens conversaton include silence, interruptions, use of swear words and taboo language. They use discursive strategies such as self reliance and independence when seeking health services while they use teasing humor when talking about sexual and reprodcutive health.