Nearly half of all individuals infected with HIV worldwide are women. What can be done to help women to protect themselves against HIV infection? Women’s power to decide where, when and how to have sex is constrained by social attitudes towards sexual activity which differ for men and women.

Communicating about sex can also be difficult. How can HIV prevention programmes increase women’s capacity to communicate on sexual matters? A study by the UK Institute of Education in four countries showed that the female condom can empower women in sexual communication and is a form of protection that women can control and that many men accept.

Gender relations, sexual negotiation and the role of the female condom in communication on sexual matters were analysed in Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico and Senegal. The study found that gender stereotypes and economic dependence on men constrain the sexual behaviour of women. It also showed that:

· Social attitudes towards sexuality give conflicting messages about sexual activity. Virginity is highly valued in women, whereas men are expected to have several partners.

· Gender stereotypes inhibit the use of the male condom – men sometimes do not want to use them and women are unwilling to ask them to.

· Men’s self-image and women’s attitudes towards male promiscuity make the promotion of mutual monogamy unrealistic. Yet communication to ensure condom use is problematic.

· Even when women are working outside the home, they may still be economically dependent on men or face additional sexual pressure at work.

· More autonomy and economic independence plus a sense of empowerment would increase women’s capacity to negotiate safer sex.

In each of the study sites, responses to the female condom were generally good among both sex workers and women not involved in sex work. It gives women a greater choice of protection methods and allows them more control than the male condom. It can also give women sexual confidence and autonomy by enabling them to talk about sexual matters. Health policy-makers can support this process by:

· making the female condom more widely available at an affordable cost

· targeting the female condom at populations where the male condom is unpopular

· presenting the female condom to women and their partners in a culturally sensitive way

· introducing the female condom with training and group work that will empower women

· conducting further research on methods to empower women.

Source(s):
‘Sex and youth: contextual factors affecting risk for HIV/AIDS. A comparative analysis of multi-site studies in developing countries. Part 3: Use of the female condom: gender relations and sexual negotiation’ by P.Aggleton, K. Rivers and S. Scott (1999) Full document.

Funded by: UNAIDS

id21 Research Highlight: 25 January 2001

Further Information:
Peter Aggleton and Kim Rivers
Thomas Coram Research Unit
Institute of Education
University of London
27-28 Woburn Square
London
WC1H 0AA
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7612 6957
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7612 6927
Contact the contributor: p.aggleton@ioe.ac.uk

Institute of Education, University of London, UK

Contact the contributor: k.rivers@ioe.ac.uk

Other related links:
Refer to the Population Council for the latest on contraceptive development.

Marie Stopes International covers a range of reproductive health resources.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation also has information on reproductive health.

UNDP has many sources of information on HIV/AIDS.

Take a look at AIDS Action - a newsletter on AIDS prevention and care from Healthlink Worldwide.