Women on men’s sexual health and sexually transmitted infection testing: a gender relations analysis

Abstract

Sexual health and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing is typically portrayed as a women's issue amid men's estrangement from healthcare services. While the underreporting of men's STIs has been linked to masculinities, little is known about how women interpret and respond to heterosexual men's sexual health practices. The findings drawn from this qualitative study of 34 young women reveal how femininities can be complicit in sustaining, as well as being critical of and disrupting masculine discourses that affirm sexual pleasure and resistance to health help-seeking as men's patriarchal privileges. Our analysis revealed three patterns: looking after the man's libido refers to women's emphasised femininity whereby the man's preference for unprotected sex and reticence to be tested for STIs was accommodated. Negotiating the stronger sex refers to ambivalent femininities, in which participants strategically resist, cooperate and comply with men's sexual health practices. Rejecting the patriarchal double standard that celebrates men as 'studs' and subordinates women as 'sluts' for embodying similar sexual practices reflects protest femininities. Overall, the findings reveal that conventional heterosexual gender relations, in which hegemonic masculinity is accommodated by women who align to emphasised femininity, continues to direct many participants' expectations around men's sexual health and STI testing.

The application of a feminist poststructural framework in nursing practice for addressing young women's sexual health

“…Exploring different strategies for negotiating sexual health practices may also help to interrupt the sexual double standard discourse and ultimately decrease feelings of shame, fear and embarrassment (Oliffe et al . ).…”

Perceived Devaluation and STI Testing Uptake among a Cohort of Street-Involved Youth in a Canadian Setting

“…Low STI testing rates among young men have been associated with individual- and structural-level factors inside and outside the healthcare service delivery systems. For example, studies have shown how gender relations and masculinities influenced by a set of social expectations influence men’s sexual health practices and experiences (Bailey et al, 2010; Beery & Zucker, 2011; Knight et al, 2013; Knight et al, 2015; Oliffe et al, 2013; Shoveller et al, 2010). Also, these experiences have been linked to anxiety-inducing environments of STI testing clinics for young men where their sexual orientation is interrogated (Knight et al, 2013).…”

“…Therefore, existing STI testing policies and procedures should be examined to assess their unintentional contribution to stigmatizing behaviours towards young PWUD. Moreover, it has been argued that the sexual healthcare delivery system positions women to take on the bulk of sexual and reproductive health responsibilities (Knight et al, 2015; Oliffe et al, 2013; Shoveller et al, 2010). Together these findings suggest that future interventions aimed at increasing STI testing uptake among marginalized youth would likely benefit from gender-sensitive approaches.…”

“…The adverse health outcomes associated with perceived stigma could vary across young men and women due to the existing gender inequalities that provide the social context for stigma and often operate through health-related gender differences (Risman, 2004, 2011). For example, gender relations influenced by a number of socio-cultural norms and expectations influence female youth’s sexual health practices and STI testing uptake (Oliffe et al, 2013). Nonetheless, we do not yet fully understand how perceived devaluation may affect STI testing uptake among street-involved youth who are likely to experience other forms of stigmas due to the use of illicit drug or risky sexual practices.…”

How do ‘Public’ Values Influence Individual Health Behaviour? An Empirical-Normative Analysis of Young Men’s Discourse Regarding HIV Testing Practices: Table 1.

“…Traditionally, low HIV testing participation rates among young men (as compared with the practices of older men or of women) has been linked to various social and structural influences, including masculine expectations related to sexual health that differentially limit their engagement with health-promoting practices (Shoveller et al, 2009, 2013Duck, 2009;Oliffe et al, 2012). For example, getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STI) or HIV can be perceived as potentially emasculating experiences for young men (Duck, 2009;Knight et al, 2012Knight et al, , 2013, exposing them to clinical encounters in which their sexuality, sexual identity and sexual behaviour may be 'interrogated' and, in some situations, their bodies 'inspected' (e.g., genital exams) (Shoveller et al, 2010.…”