Chimininge, VengesaiVengesaiChimininge2025-02-132025-02-132025978-3-98989-042-8https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/106050Throughout the world, there are still strong social and cultural norms that perpetuate power imbalances between men and women. While men usually have more agency than the women in their lives, men’s decisions and behaviours are also profoundly shaped by rigid social and cultural expectations related to masculinity. For this reason, there is an increasing amount of research output recognizing the impact of religion and culture on sexual and reproductive health-care utilization in Africa. Connell (1998), MenEngage (2016), Ezra Chitando & Susan Mbula Kilonzo (2018), Desi Dwi Prianti (2019) Mbah (2019), Chitando & Chirongoma (2012), Sokfa (2013) and many more highlighted that there is a growing realisation that masculinities are not uniform and that they are expressed in diverse and sometimes conflicting ways. It is hypothesized in this chapter that some religious beliefs and cultural practices in Africa can influence the gender disparities that can affect sexual and reproductive health care of a people. Considering this backdrop this chapter examines the influence of African masculinities in sexual and reproductive health care using the belief systems and practices in African Indigenous Churches in Zimbabwe. The paper pays particular attention to two dominant issues in traditional African sexuality such as marriage and family planning. Extensive published literature and interview discussions were used to gather data for this paper.engAfrican masculinityreproductive healthAfrican Indigenous Churchessexualityreproductive healthZimbabwe230bookpart