17th International AIDS Conference Mexico City, Mexico - August 13 - 18, 2008

SMALL HOUSE, HURE, SUGAR DADDIES, AND GARDEN BOYS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF HETEROSEXUAL CONCURRENT PARTNERSHIPS AMONG MEN AND WOMEN IN ZIMBABWE

Int Conf AIDS. 2008 Aug 13-18;17 Abstract No. MoAc0203

N. Taruberekera¹, L. Kaljee², H. Astatke², W. Mushayi ¹, M. Chommie¹, N. Shekhar³

BACKGROUND: Efforts to reduce multiple partners are important to prevention of HIV/AIDS. However, there remains a need to study the socio-cultural contexts of concurrent relationships. In a 2006 study in Zimbabwe, 32.5% men and 28.6% women reported more than one ‘regular sexual partner’.

METHODS: In a two-phase qualitative study, the first phase explored definitions, contexts, and determinants of concurrent relationships. The second phase examined the relevance and definitions of determinants from PSI’s Behavior Change Framework, findings from a literature review, and input from research and program staff. Twenty-four groups were conducted (5 to 6 participants) with men and women (ages 18 to 40 years) from urban and rural areas.

RESULTS: Concurrent sexual partnerships range from short-term casual relationships to long-term emotional relationships and may involve exchanges of money, goods and/or services. Short term relationships include relations between adolescents and older partners in which money or goods may be provided by the older partner to the young partner. Other ‘transactional’ relationships include female sex workers (hure) and men. These can be single encounters or a longer term relationship between a woman and her ‘regular’ client. Long term relationships include wives, girlfriends, and ‘small houses’. The ‘small house’ relationship is not a civil union, however the man supports the woman and they may have a child together.

Patterns of concurrent relationships vary by residency, age, gender, and are underlined by several psycho-social factors. These include cultural beliefs and practices, social norms and pressures, perceived material and status benefits, the quality of other relationships, revenge on partners, sexual experimentation, outcome expectations, perceived ‘locus of control’, and perceived threat for HIV/AIDS.

CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent relationships are wide-ranging and diverse with multiple socio-culturally entrenched determinants. Our data include relationship patterns, contexts and determinants that need to be addressed in future interventions on concurrent partnerships in Zimbabwe.

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2008-08-13
MoAc0203

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