Contradictory sexual norms and expectations for young people in rural Northern Tanzania

Wight, Daniel; Plummer, Mary L.; Mshana, Gerry; Wamoyi, Joyce; Shigongo, Zachayo S.; Ross, David A.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.06.052

Cited by 142 publications

(164 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Premarital sexual relationships are often secretive (Haram, 1995;Wight et al, 2006), and a sexually active fifteen-year-old girl may feel less comfortable speaking about her relationship were she asked to record her words into an unfamiliar-looking machine. Therefore, to minimize the potential for undue anxiety, and keeping in line with the intended conversational tone of the interview, interviewers instead took notes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, money, and premarital partnerships in southern Malawi

Poulin

2007

Social Science & Medicine

183

150

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In this paper, I argue two main points: (1), the purpose of money exchange in premarital, sexual partnerships in rural Malawi extends beyond the alleviation of female partners' economic constraints, and (2), by elucidating this broader purpose, it becomes possible to recognize where women exert control over their own sexual selves. These findings come from field observations and a rich set of in-depth interviews (N=54), bolstered on occasion by survey data, conducted with young women and men, aged 15 to 24 years, in the Balaka district in the southern region of the country. My research demonstrates that, contrary to typical expectations, money and gift transfers in sexual partnerships are part and parcel of the courting practices of young Malawian women and men. Transfers are as much about the expression of love and commitment as they are about meeting the financial "needs" of women or the acquisition of sex for men. Using narrative information to shed light on the semiotics of the sex-money link, these findings from Malawi offer a new perspective that broadens usual interpretations of "transactional" sex, the understanding of which is critical in fighting AIDS.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, money, and premarital partnerships in southern Malawi

Poulin

2007

Social Science & Medicine

183

150

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“…Wight et al (83), for example, argue that, in rural northern Tanzania, several norms regarding youth sexuality operate simultaneously, some restrictive and some permissive. Kin or ethnic groups would seem to be likely suspects in reinforcing high fertility, although Mace and Colleran (84) find that the advent of contraception in The Gambia has greatly diminished the importance of kin in influencing fertility.…”

Section: Gendered Social Normsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gendered production and consumption in rural Africa

Kevane

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Recent research underscores the continued importance of gender in rural Africa. Analysis of interactions within households is becoming more sophisticated and continues to reject the unitary model. There is some evidence of discriminatory treatment of girls relative to boys, although the magnitudes of differential investments in health and schooling are not large and choices seem quite responsive to changes in opportunity costs. Social norms proscribing and prescribing male and female economic behavior remain substantial, extending into many domains, especially land tenure. Gender constructions are constantly evolving, although there is little evidence of rapid, transformative change in rural areas.agriculture | development | women T he economic lives of people in many parts of rural Africa are deeply gendered. Farm activities have sex valences. Handling the plow is work for men, and guiding the oxen is work for women; rice is planted by women, and cotton is managed by men. Rural households often invest less in girl children than boy children. Governments assign programs and projects to the different sexes: microfinance for women and pesticides for men. Local judges interpret custom and law as properly gendered. A wife hoping to inherit her husband's land may find herself evicted by his brother. These are illustrative generalizations, of course, and not facts. There is considerable variation across regions and ethnic groups and over time. However, there can be little doubt that gendered structures and choices and ensuing gendered life trajectories are important and complex. This article reviews an expanding literature that examines the mechanisms involved, programs and policies designed around these mechanisms, and effects of public action and large-scale change regarding gendered social structures in rural Africa.Gender is best thought of as a set of shared discursive habits relating to males and females. These habits encompass but are not limited to cognitive characterizations of gendered behaviors, expectations about gendered actions, and gendered decision algorithms. The habits guide people when they think about how other people might react to proposed action. Sometimes, the habits agree with a person's reasoned judgment, and sometimes, they do not, in which case a person might experience mental distress and cognitive dissonance. The actions under consideration range from the ordinary chores of everyday living to the infrequent and worrisome markers of life changes and from the private utterances intended for oneself to formal public pronouncements. These actions by individuals are evaluated by people in a community, and over time in-

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“…Approximately 102 in-depth interviews were conducted with males and females aged [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] in each of the four countries and consisted of the same sub-groups as the FGDs: in-and outof-school adolescents from urban and rural locations. In addition, interviews were conducted among young people who belonged to specific groups that were considered to be at higher than average sexual risk: young married women, women with children, refugees (Ghana and Uganda), street children and petty traders.…”

Section: Qualitative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 Another study in Tanzania found that the price/gifts women demand for sex are a demonstration of self-respect and how much they perceive they are valued by their partner: accepting too low of a price for sex is a threat to a woman's sexual respectability. 19 In an analysis of the relationship between the value of the gift and condom use among the Luo in Kenya, Luke's study of an economic threshold for engaging in sex without a condom is evidence that girls are active agents in this sexual negotiation. 32 In a further testament to girls' voluntary participation in unions that provide gifts and money, girls have been found to terminate the relationship if gift-giving ends.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Meanings of Exchange of Money or Gifts for Sex in Unmarried Adolescent Sexual Relationships in Sub-Saharan Africa

Moore¹,

Biddlecom²,

Zulu³

2007

African Journal of Reproductive Health

109

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Using national survey data collected in 2004 in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda with 12-19 year olds, we examine the prevalence of sex in exchange for money or gifts in the 12 months prior to the survey and its association with adolescents' social and economic vulnerability and condom use. Receiving something in exchange for sex is very common among sexually active, unmarried female adolescents and there are no significant differences by household economic status, orphan status, level of schooling completed or age difference between partners. Condom use at last sex in the 12 months prior to the survey is not associated with receiving gifts or money. Qualitative data based on focus group discussions and in-depth interviews collected in 2003 with adolescents suggest that receiving money or gifts for sex is not necessarily a coercive force, but rather can be a routine aspect of dating.

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Contradictory sexual norms and expectations for young people in rural Northern Tanzania

Cited by 142 publications

References 17 publications

Sex, money, and premarital partnerships in southern Malawi

Sex, money, and premarital partnerships in southern Malawi

Gendered production and consumption in rural Africa

Prevalence and Meanings of Exchange of Money or Gifts for Sex in Unmarried Adolescent Sexual Relationships in Sub-Saharan Africa

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