Title: Rebels at risk: young women and the shadow of AIDS in Africa.

POPLINE Document Number: 314792

Author(s):

Baylies C
Bujra J
Chabala T
Kaihula N
Liatto-Katundu B

Source citation:

In: Vivre et penser le sida en Afrique / Experiencing and understanding AIDS in Africa, edited by Charles Becker, Jean-Pierre Dozon, Christine Obbo and Moriba Toure. Paris, France, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa [CODESRIA], 1998. :319-342.

Abstract:

AIDS casts a deep shadow of uncertainty and danger as young women face unenviable choices in a changing world. It is in this context that we shall explore the extent to which a peer culture of adolescence is emerging and how it is gendered, the way in which familial relations are being tested and tried, the extent of communication between those of different generations regarding sexuality and protection, the way in which marriage is being rethought by some young women, and the potential for women to create futures in which they are autonomous of male support. Norms describing sexual behaviour have undergone considerable change over recent years within many African countries, including Tanzania and Zambia, particularly in urban areas and among those who are more educated. While marriage may be occurring later,1 sexual experimentation has often come early, sometimes leading to worrying levels of STD infection and teenage, extra-marital, pregnancies. At the same time former mechanisms of instruction in sexual matters have in many cases broken down. Among many groups it was and remains improper to speak of sexual matters in the presence of one's parents or for parents to teach their children about sex, particularly across gender lines. But as Tumbo-Masabo (1994) notes, whereas pre-colonial patterns of initiation were rule governed and characterised by an 'openness,' today there is more commonly a socialisation of 'silence'. Although this 'silence' is being challenged within the context of the AIDS epidemic and many parents recognise the need to fill the gap, they frequently find themselves, in practice, not always able to do so. Some sex education occurs in schools, but its limited nature means that young people are often left to learn about such matters from their peers. (excerpt)

Keywords:

Tanzania
Zambia
Research Report
Focus Groups
Qualitative Research
KAP Surveys
Women in Development
Youth
HIV Prevention
Women's Health
Sex Behavior
Risk Behavior
Macroeconomic Factors
Women's Empowerment
Value Orientation
Developing Countries
Africa, Eastern
Africa, Sub Saharan
Africa
Africa, Southern
Data Collection
Research Methodology
Surveys
Sampling Studies
Studies
Economic Development
Economic Factors
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Health
Behavior
Women's Status
Socioeconomic Factors
Psychological Factors