Citation

Mgalla Z, Pool R. AIDS Care 1997; 9(4): 407-416.

Affiliation

Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9337885

Abstract

A multidisciplinary research study conducted in northwest Tanzania's Magu district in 1993 sought to increase understanding of the characteristics of female bar workers, who are regarded by local authorities as a group at high risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 33 of the approximately 80 bar, brew shop, and guest house workers in Magu Town were interviewed or enrolled in focus group discussions. In 1994, follow-up interviews were conducted with 27 of these women. The average age of study respondents was 25 years. Bar workers in Magu are predominantly divorced or unmarried and have a high degree of geographic mobility. They select bar work as an alternative to financial dependence on their families. However, because bar workers earn an average of only Tsh 3000 a month (national average monthly income, Tsh 10,000), they remain partially dependent on the financial support of sexual partners. These women provide sex to men in exchange for direct or indirect financial support. The difference between regular and casual partners was expressed by respondents primarily in financial terms. Regular partners, who are usually married, support a woman over an extended period and provide assistance in times of acute need (e.g., illness, school fees), while casual partners exchange a predetermined amount of money for a single sexual encounter. This distinction affects perceptions of risk and condom use. Women are more likely to demand condom use with casual partners, despite the perception that their regular partners also expose them to the risk of HIV. Overall, these bar workers accept the dominant ideology that men are naturally promiscuous and non-monogamous.

Language: en