Citation

Wojcicki JM. Med. Anthropol. Q. 2002; 16(3): 267-293.

Affiliation

Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, USA. jwojcicki@psg.ucsf.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, American Anthropological Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1525/maq.2002.16.3.267

PMID

12227257

Abstract

This article examines the practice of "survival sex" in the taverns of Soweto and Hammanskraal area, South Africa. Women who engage in survival sex do not self-identify as commercial sex workers, and the community does not identify them as such. Those who structure HIV prevention programs should not confound such women with commercial sex workers, because effective intervention may vary between the two groups. Violence against women who engage in survival sex in taverns is common, as it is argued that, when a woman accepts beer from a man, she is obliged to exchange sex (because she has "drunk his money"). The South African government should prioritize the reduction of violence as a way to reduce HIV transmission, as, in the context of violence, women do not have the option of negotiating safer sex.

Language: en