Gender and Sexual Practice in Structural Context: Condom Use among Women Doing Sex Work in Southern India

Abstract

condom use among Women doing sex Work in southern india Gay younG american university, uSa Mona j. E. DannEr old Dominion university, uSa Lucía fort Independent Gender & Development consultant, uSa KIM M. BLanKEnShIp american university, uSa In this study, we elaborate connections among gender, structure, and practice to suggest how social structural relations shape social sexual practice and, in the process, reshape gender relations. using survey data from a study of a community mobilization intervention, we investigate the connection between institutional arrangements and condom use practice in sexual encounters with commercial clients and intimate partners among 410 women engaged in sex trade in a semiurban town in southern India. Multinomial logistic regression analysis uncovers the effects of 16 measures of gendered structural relations in three contexts-livelihood resources, household circumstances, and community mobilization intervention priorities. We compare women who practice either consistent or inconsistent condom use with both clients and partners with a reference group of women who practice consistent condom use with clients but not with partners. results reveal the importance of household and community relations for consistent safer sex practice over and above the organization of sex trade. our analysis advances gender theory in two interrelated ways: We contribute to gender theorizing in the implementation of health AUTHORS' NOTE: this work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation (BMGf) (Grant no. opp30183; pI K. Blankenship). the views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official policy or position of BMGf. correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Gay young, american university,

A Systematic Review of Factors Influencing Condom Use among Female Sex Workers

“…It is these views that perpetuate stigma and the de-humanisation of women in sex work. Research with women involved in sex work in Southern Indiawhere the culture is male dominated, have demonstrated that men"s power over women, including intimate partner violence, makes FSWs more vulnerable to HIV, stating that interventions challenging normative gender relations are imperative in improving the health of FSWs (Young et al 2018). The act of purposefully putting holes in condoms in order to infect or put FSWs at risk of diseases suggests some kind of punishment delivered by the client upon the sex worker (and/or women generally) and is an example of the dangerous attitudes expressed by some clients.…”

“…To reduce the incidence of these types of violations the de-criminalization and de-stigmatization of sex work is suggested as a vehicle for changing chauvinistic constructions of women"s sexuality and making society more open to sex work and FSWs (Comte, 2013). Some women, in urban India for example choose to do sex work, as their options in regards to making a livelihood are relatively limited (Young et al 2018). The sex trade in India has been defined as a crucial part of the interconnected array of livelihood strategies that low SES women pursue for survival (Young et al 2018).…”

“…Some women, in urban India for example choose to do sex work, as their options in regards to making a livelihood are relatively limited (Young et al 2018). The sex trade in India has been defined as a crucial part of the interconnected array of livelihood strategies that low SES women pursue for survival (Young et al 2018). Sex work needs to be seen as legitimate work and in a labour market that is structured by gender, we need to alter the structural arrangements of the sex industry in order to enable the agency of women in safe sex practice (Young et al 2018).…”

“…The sex trade in India has been defined as a crucial part of the interconnected array of livelihood strategies that low SES women pursue for survival (Young et al 2018). Sex work needs to be seen as legitimate work and in a labour market that is structured by gender, we need to alter the structural arrangements of the sex industry in order to enable the agency of women in safe sex practice (Young et al 2018). Depending on the cultural context, many women in sex work can earn substantially higher incomes than they would if they were involved in other gendered alternatives such as low-skill construction, factory, domestic or agricultural work, however, the less dependence that women place on their income from the sex trade, the higher their capacity to practice safer sex (Young et al 2018).…”

“…Sex work needs to be seen as legitimate work and in a labour market that is structured by gender, we need to alter the structural arrangements of the sex industry in order to enable the agency of women in safe sex practice (Young et al 2018). Depending on the cultural context, many women in sex work can earn substantially higher incomes than they would if they were involved in other gendered alternatives such as low-skill construction, factory, domestic or agricultural work, however, the less dependence that women place on their income from the sex trade, the higher their capacity to practice safer sex (Young et al 2018). There is a social conundrum here in that women who are in control of their lives and are reaping benefits from their work are considered problematic, while women who are forced into sex work by means of trafficking do not face the same stigma as they had no agency in becoming involved in the sex industry.…”