Citation

Gibbison GA. West Indian Med. J. 2007; 56(1): 66-71.

Affiliation

School of Economic Development, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8152, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA. alexga02sav@yahoo.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, University of The West Indies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17621847

Abstract

For young Jamaican men, it is necessary to prove their virility to their peers and prove to their parents that they are of heterosexual orientation. These demands have produced a society in which men are sexually aggressive, even to the point of using violence to control the sexual choices of women. This paper examines whether Jamaican men who support intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are more likely to have unsafe sexual practices and social attitudes that could increase women 's risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections. Men who responded 'yes' to violence against women are more likely themselves to have multiple sexual partners and less likely to use condoms consistently. They are also more likely to have forced a partner to have sex within the last year. Multivariate regression analysis shows that men who responded 'yes' to IPV are likely to be young, less educated and living in urban areas. Clearly, women in certain regions or subpopulations face an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections due to the sexual choices of their partners. Intervention programmes to reduce sexually transmitted infections need to be developed with specific aspects of the cultural context of sexual relationships in mind. It seems especially important that male sexual choices and attitudes be directly addressed. Specific suggestions are made about an approach that has a proven record of success in reducing risky practices in high risk groups.

Language: en