Wasting semen: Context and condom use among the Maasai

Coast, Ernestina

doi:10.1080/13691050701208474

Cited by 32 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Research from Tanzania, 79 Nigeria, 85,91,92 South Africa, 89,93,94 Kenya, 73,95 and Zambia 96 supports the observation that these beliefs about masculinity and femininity overlap with the belief that the core purpose of sexual interaction is a demonstration of virility and fertility. Sexual activity that does not involve the deposit of semen in the vagina has been described as 'wasting semen' and inhibiting the pleasure of both partners in Tanzania, 79 Kenya, 73,95 Nigeria 92 and Zambia.…”

Section: Inside Cognitions: Beliefs About Masculinity Femininity Andmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Sexual activity that does not involve the deposit of semen in the vagina has been described as 'wasting semen' and inhibiting the pleasure of both partners in Tanzania, 79 Kenya, 73,95 Nigeria 92 and Zambia. 96 In several of these studies, men report and are reported to make holes in condoms to ensure their sperm or semen can escape into the vagina, and both men and women speak of 'tricking' their partner into condomless sex.…”

Section: Inside Cognitions: Beliefs About Masculinity Femininity Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…96 In several of these studies, men report and are reported to make holes in condoms to ensure their sperm or semen can escape into the vagina, and both men and women speak of 'tricking' their partner into condomless sex. 73,79,[95][96][97] Children and parenthood remain of primary importance to both men and women, even when the risk of HIV transmission is high, as in serodiscordant couples. In data collected in both Kenya 38,98 and Togo, 99 men in serodiscordant relationships ignored the risk of transmission because they wanted children.…”

Section: Inside Cognitions: Beliefs About Masculinity Femininity Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Condoms in sub-Saharan Africa

Maticka‐Tyndale¹

2012

Sex. Health

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Abstract. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the region with the world's highest rates of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs), yet numerous studies show that condom use is generally rare. This suggests a need for a better understanding of how condoms fit within sexual practices and relationships in SSA. This paper seeks to address this need by reviewing research published between the late 1980s and 2011 on use and factors influencing use of male condoms in SSA. What is evident from this research is that condom use involves complex social and interpersonal dynamics, with structural and cultural conditions exerting an influence through framing social cognitions and setting boundaries on autonomy that make the apparently irrational choice of eschewing condoms a rational decision. The influences of poverty; relationships with parents, peers and partners; limited, insufficient or absent information especially in rural areas and among men who have sex with men; gender and sexual norms, and the dynamics of gendered power; and beliefs and attitudes about HIV, condoms and sexuality all have been shown to work against condom use for a large proportion of Africa's people. However, promising results are shown in trends towards increased condom use among single women in numerous countries, increasing acceptance and use of condoms among some university students, successes in producing potentially sustainable condom use resulting from select interventions, and resistance to succumbing to the dominant gender-power dynamics and structural-cultural impediments that women in groups have mobilised.

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Section: Inside Cognitions: Beliefs About Masculinity Femininity Andmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Inside Cognitions: Beliefs About Masculinity Femininity Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Inside Cognitions: Beliefs About Masculinity Femininity Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Condoms in sub-Saharan Africa

Maticka‐Tyndale¹

2012

Sex. Health

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“…Some campaigners have further claimed that condoms are deliberately impregnated or laced with HIV to 'wipe them out' 15 . In some African cultures, sperm are taken to be of key importance in 'nourishing' the women and in child development during pregnancy, when repeated sex is undertaken 16 . The Masai in East Africa reject condom use as a 'waste' of sperm and this belief strongly influences their sexual behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tackling sexually transmitted infection burden in Ugandan communities living in the United Kingdom: a qualitative analysis of the socio-cultural interpretation of disease and condom use

et al. 2015

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Background: Despite being in a different country and social environment, Ugandans living in the UK still reportedly have the lowest rates of condom usage and one of the highest incidences of STIs in UK. In Uganda, STIs and HIV prevalence has been reported to be on the increase. Understanding peoples' beliefs and the attitudes that influence their behavior is a key factor to effectively designing control programs. Methods: A qualitative study that interviewed 37 purposively selected Ugandans living in the UK was conducted. Lay theories and interpretations were derived using thematic analysis. Results: Condoms generally carried a lot of stigma and were perceived for use primarily in extramarital affairs and pregnancy control. HIV/AIDS was most feared due to its perceived socio-psychological or physical effects unlike other STIs described as "non-threatening" due to wide availability of "quality" treatment in UK. Notions of trust, the purpose of relationships, symptom recognition and partner selection greatly influenced decisions to undertake consistent condom use. Conclusions:The socio-cultural understanding of STIs, sex, trust and relationships are symbolic in influencing consistent condom use among Ugandans. This indicates a need to acknowledge community beliefs and values about sexual health and design messages about STIs and condoms that would help eliminate these serious condom-related misconceptions.

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“…1,2 Although actual HIV rates are difficult to obtain due to governmental restrictions on census and data collection differentiation by tribal identification, sexual traditions and social norms place the Maasai people of Tanzania at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Maasai norms and traditions include esoto (coerced sexual initiation of pre-pubes-June 2014.…”

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fire is Coming: An HIV Prevention Intervention Contextualized to the Maasai People of Tanzania

Freitas¹

2014

han-j-cjgh

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Abstract"The Fire is Coming" film is an innovative HIV-prevention intervention contextualized to the Maasai people of Tanzania through use of a traditional Maasai story. The intervention was developed and implemented in partnership with Maasai Pastoralists for Education and Development (MAPED). Although there have been numerous Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) surveys conducted among the Maasai, this is the first control-group comparison study designed to measure the effectiveness of an HIVprevention intervention contextualized specifically to the Maasai people of Tanzania. We will first discuss the background and context in which the intervention was developed and methods used to develop the intervention. We will then discuss the evaluation methods, results, and implications of a retrospective Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices (KAP) two-village comparison survey (n=200) for "The Fire is Coming" HIV-prevention intervention among Maasai people. There was a significant effect for HIV-related attitudes, t(16) = 2.77, p <0.05, regarding willingness to care for an HIV infected person, willingness to be tested for HIV, self-efficacy toward HIV-prevention, married women's ability to use condoms, unmarried girls' ability to refuse high-risk sexual behaviors, married men's ability to use condoms, and married men's ability to limit sex to their spouses. There was a significant effect for HIV-related behavior changes, t(8) = 2.89, p <0.05, with reported family decisions made, esoto (the ritualized sexual initiation of pre-pubescent girls) stopped, sexual behaviors changed, blade-sharing stopped, and other traditional custom changes reported. Although knowledge rates were often higher in the intervention area than in the comparison area, there was no significant difference in HIV-related knowledge, t(12)=1.85, p >0.05. Implications: Belief in one's ability to do something is often the pivotal point for behavior change. The results of the survey denote a highly effective intervention in changing HIV-related attitudes and behaviors. It is promising for replication among other Maasai communities and for adaptation with indigenous people groups in other regions.

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Wasting semen: Context and condom use among the Maasai

Abstract: negative impact on quality of sex; the wasting of sperm; and the 'otherness' of condoms. The implications of these findings for condom provision and uptake are considered in the discussion.

Cited by 32 publications

References 52 publications

Condoms in sub-Saharan Africa

Condoms in sub-Saharan Africa

Tackling sexually transmitted infection burden in Ugandan communities living in the United Kingdom: a qualitative analysis of the socio-cultural interpretation of disease and condom use

The Fire is Coming: An HIV Prevention Intervention Contextualized to the Maasai People of Tanzania

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