Love, lust and the emotional context of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships among young Swazi adults

Ruark, Allison; Dlamini, Lunga; Mazibuko, Nonhlanhla; Green, Edward C.; Kennedy, Caitlin E.; Nunn, Amy; Flanigan, Timothy P.; Surkan, Pamela J.

doi:10.2989/16085906.2014.927781

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Our findings reflect cross sections of the different relationship models which a woman may engage in over her life course, echoing previous research in Swaziland that describes men and women’s shifting priorities over time (Ruark et al, 2014). The main difference between the relationship models we identified is not the degree of economic dependence or sexual obligation --some degree of both appears to be the rule, rather than the exception – but the social acceptability of this tradeoff within a woman’s community.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The feminine ideal and transactional sex: Navigating respectability and risk in Swaziland

Fielding-Miller

Dunkle

Shai

et al. 2016

Social Science & Medicine

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Women who engage in transactional sex are not only at increased risk of HIV and intimate partner violence, but also face social risks including gossip and ostracism. These social and physical risks may be dependent on both what a woman expects and needs from her partner and how her community perceives the relationship. Gender theory suggests that some of these social risks may hinge on whether or not a woman’s relationship threatens dominant masculinity. We conducted a qualitative study in Swaziland from September 2013 to October 2014 to explore transactional sex and respectable femininity through the lens of hegemonic gender theory. Using cultural consensus modeling, we identified cultural models of transactional sex and conducted 16 in-depth interviews with model key informants and 3 focus group discussions, for a total of 41 participants. We identified 4 main models of transactional relationships: One typified by marriage and high social respectability, a second in which women aspire towards marriage, a third particular to University students, and a fourth “sugar daddy” model. Women in all models expected and received significant financial support from their male partners. However, women in less respectable relationships risked social censure and stigma if they were discovered, in part because aspects of their relationship threatened hegemonic masculinity. Conversely, women who received male support in respectable relationships had to carefully select HIV risk reduction strategies that did not threaten their relationship and associated social status. Research and programming efforts typically focus only on the less socially respectable forms of transactional sex. This risks reinforcing stigma for women in relationships that are already considered socially unacceptable while ignoring the unique HIV risks faced by women in more respectable relationships.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The feminine ideal and transactional sex: Navigating respectability and risk in Swaziland

Fielding-Miller

Dunkle

Shai

et al. 2016

Social Science & Medicine

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“…However, for women with less constrained agency in their relationships, the decision to forgo condoms with a sexual partner may be made based on personal preferences, and the decision is more likely to be made with agency, affection and trust. For many couples in Swaziland, southern Africa and the rest of the world, gift giving and financial support from a male partner are normative parts of courtship and relationships [ 13 , 26 , 64 , 65 ]. Research across the globe has shown that as intimacy and trust in a relationship increases, condom use decreases even in contexts with a high background HIV prevalence [ 66 – 70 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agency as a mediator in the pathway from transactional sex to HIV among pregnant women in Swaziland: a multigroup path analysis

Fielding-Miller

Dunkle

Hadley

et al. 2017

Journal of the International AIDS Society

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Introduction: Transactional sex is a structural driver of HIV for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. In transactional relationships, sexual and economic obligations intertwine and may have positive and negative effects on women’s financial standing and social status. We conducted a clinic-based survey with pregnant women in Swaziland using a locally validated transactional sex scale to measure the association between subjective social status, transactional sex, and HIV status, and to assess whether this association differed according to a woman’s agency within her relationship.Methods: We recruited a convenience sample of 406 pregnant women at one rural and one urban public antenatal clinic in Swaziland and administered a behavioural survey that was linked to participant HIV status using clinic records. We then conducted a multigroup path analysis to test three hypotheses: (1) that more engagement in transactional sex is associated with decreased condom use and increased subjective social status; (2) that subjective social status mediates the relationship between transactional sex and HIV status; and (3) that these relationships are different across groups according to whether or not a woman reported any indicator of constrained agency within her relationship.Results: The amount and value of material goods received from a sexual partner was significantly and positively associated with higher subjective social status among all participants. As the amount of material goods received from a partner increased, women who reported no indicators of constrained agency were less likely to use condoms. Conversely, there was no relationship between transactional sex and condom use among women who reported any indicator of constrained relationship agency. Among women who reported any indicator of constrained agency, HIV was significantly associated with lower subjective social status.Conclusions: Relationship agency likely plays a key role in determining which mechanisms create HIV risk for women in transactional relationships. Interventions to mitigate these risks must address social forces that penalize women who engage in sexual relationships as well as structural drivers of gendered economic disparity that reduce women’s agency within their sexual and romantic relationships.

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“…Participants were interviewed three to five times between July 2013 and August 2014, with interviews lasting up to 90 minutes and each participant being interviewed for an average of three hours in total. Methods as well as findings from initial rounds of interviews are described in detail elsewhere (Ruark et al 2014). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From first love to marriage and maturity: a life-course perspective on HIV risk among young Swazi adults

Ruark

Kennedy

Mazibuko

et al. 2016

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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This paper uses a life-course approach to explore the sexual partnerships and HIV-related risk of men and women in Swaziland throughout their adolescence, their 20s and 30s. Twenty-eight Swazi men and women between the ages of 20 and 39 discussed their life histories in 117 in-depth interviews, with an average follow-up of 9 months. Many participants reported painful childhood experiences, including a lack of positive role models for couple relationships. Women’s first sexual partnerships often involved coercion or force and resulted in pregnancy and abandonment by partners, leaving women economically vulnerable. Most men and women reported a desire to marry and associated marriage with respectability and monogamy. Men typically did not feel ready to marry until their 30s, while women often married only after years in tumultuous relationships. A high degree of relationship instability and change was observed over the study period, with half of participants reporting concurrency within their primary relationship. Participants’ narratives revealed significant sources and circumstances of risk, particularly multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships, violence, and lack of mutual trust within relationships, as well as social ideals which may provide opportunities for effective HIV prevention.

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Love, lust and the emotional context of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships among young Swazi adults

Cited by 24 publications

References 40 publications

The feminine ideal and transactional sex: Navigating respectability and risk in Swaziland

The feminine ideal and transactional sex: Navigating respectability and risk in Swaziland

Agency as a mediator in the pathway from transactional sex to HIV among pregnant women in Swaziland: a multigroup path analysis

From first love to marriage and maturity: a life-course perspective on HIV risk among young Swazi adults

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