Gendered construction of sexual risks: implications for safer sex among young people in Kenya and Sweden

Abstract

This study compared perceptions of sexual risk and sexual practices among youth in Kenya and Sweden. Self-generated questions on the body, perceptions of sexual risk and sexual practices were collected in Kenya while focus group discussions and individual interviews on these same issues were used in Sweden. The most striking differences between the two countries were in the level of knowledge on matters of sexuality and the ability to talk with ease on these matters. The refusal in Kenya to provide adolescents with information and services has left the 'safe period' as their only protective option and pregnancy as the overriding concern. Communication at the partner level and lack of condom use are problematic in both countries and even where access to information and preventive services exist, these may not be used optimally. In both countries, boys had more sexual freedom, while girls were controlled through lobelling and rumours, and girls were assigned responsibility for safer sex. We conclude that sexual education should be based more broadly on an understanding of the social norms defining sexual behaviour. It is at the level ofsexual relations that the tensions between culturally-defined sexual and gender norms and public health assumptions should be addressed, a level at which health policy and education are silent in both countries.Keywords: adolescents, safer sex, unwanted pregnancy, STDs, HIV/AIDS, Sweden, Kenya T HE decision to carry out a comparative study was initially motivated by the urgent need to find ways to halt HIV/AIDS transmission in Kenya. The comparison with Sweden aimed to explore whether liberal attitudes permit more open discussion of sexual matters and the impact of such openness on sexual practices. We sought to find out what it means for girls and boys to live in a society with publicly prohibitive attitudes as compared to a social environment with more liberal attitudes. Adolescent sexuality in Kenya and SwedenAdolescents in Kenya live within a prohibitive sexual moral regime, with virtually no access to information or preventive services.' Contrary to emerging evidence2 it is believed that sexual education would lead to sexual experimentation, and any suggestion to introduce sexual education in schools has met with strong public protest. In 1997, the Kenya Government, partly due to pressure from religious institutions and the anticipation of winning a national election, shelved a sessional paper on family life education, which would have introduced sex education in schools.3 The Catholic Bishops have oganised public burning of condoms and sexual education materials in various parts of the country.4 Other Christian denominations prohibit condom use, especially outside marriage.5T6 Yet, the adolescent sexual and reproductive health scenario includes high rates of premarital pregnancy, induced abortion, school drop-out, STDs and HIV, suggesting that young people engage in unprotected sexual activity 26 espite moral prohibitions, with devastating rmsequences, especially for girls. Th...

Gender-Role Attitudes and Reproductive Health Communication among Female Adolescents in South Nyanza, Kenya1

“…The gendered nature of gender-role socialization of young people in much of the developing world and its implications for teenage reproductive health experiences are well recognized in the literature (see for example Gage 1998;Ahlberg et al, 2001;Machel, 2001;Varga, 2003;Marston, 2004). These patterns have persisted despite the rapid social, economic, political and cultural transformations that have taken place in these regions.…”

“…It is therefore not surprising that recognizing these underlying beliefs and understanding how they manifest themselves as barriers to adolescent reproductive health programs are consistently pointed out in the literature as a priority if such programs are to register any success (e.g. Eggleston et al, 1999;Laub et al, 1999;Harrison et al 2001;Ahlberg et al, 2001;Blanc, 2001;Varga, 2003). Existing literature suggests that current views among adolescents about sexuality, reproduction and decision making power within sexual relationships might portend future behaviour with regard to familial roles and reproduction (see for example Plotnick, 1992;Gueye et al, 2001;and Mensch et al, 2003).…”

Nurse-Midwives' Attitudes towards Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs in Kenya and Zambia

“…14,15 This leaves adolescents with periodic abstinence as their only protective option, and adolescent pregnancy as a growing concern. 14 For instance, adolescent childbearing has been identified as a major cause of school drop-out in Kenya as well as in Zambia.…”

Creating a space for young women's voices: using ‘participatory video drama’ in Uganda

“…Yet, it is likely that there is a need to go beyond the technical fix of provision of a school place to creating more gendersensitive school environments through various means. For example, in the Ugandan context, increasing the numbers of female teachers is vital (Brock and Cammish 1998), alongside addressing negative gender constructions which act as a barrier to young women's inclusion in school-based health education and affect their ability to make informed and confident decisions about sex, as well as other appropriate strategies (Ahlberg et al 2001;Stromquist 2002).…”