Transactional sex and HIV: understanding the gendered structural drivers of HIV in fishing communities in Southern Malawi
Open Access
- 14 June 2012
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of the International AIDS Society
- Vol. 15 (S1), 1-9
- https://doi.org/10.7448/ias.15.3.17364
Abstract
Background: In Southern Malawi, the fishing industry is highly gendered, with men carrying out the fishing and women processing, drying and selling the fish. Research has shown that individuals living in fishing communities in low-income countries are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. One of the key drivers of HIV in fishing communities is transactional sex. In the fishing industry this takes the form of ‘‘fish-for-sex’’ networks where female fish traders exchange sex with fishermen for access to or more favourable prices of fish. By controlling the means of production, the power dynamics in these exchanges favour men and can make it more difficult for women to negotiate safe sex. Methods: Qualitative methods were used to collect data on gendered drivers of transactional sex in the fishing community and how different groups perceive HIV risk in these transactions. Observation, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were undertaken with members of the fishing communities, including men and women directly and indirectly involved in fishing. Results: In fishing communities transactional sex was prevalent across a spectrum ranging from gift giving within relationships, to sex for fish exchanges, to sex worker encounters. Power differences between couples in transactional sexual encounters shape individual’s abilities to negotiate condom use (with women being at a particularly disadvantaged negotiating position). The context and motivations for transactional sex varied and was mediated by economic need and social position both of men and women. Female fish traders new to the industry and boat crew members who travelled for work and experienced difficult living conditions often engaged in transactional sex. Conclusion: Transactional sex is common in Malawian fishing communities, with women particularly vulnerable in negotiations because of existing gendered power structures. Although knowledge and understanding of the HIV risk associated with transactional sex was common, this did not appear to result in the adoption of risk reduction strategies. This suggests that specially targeted strategies to increase women’s economic empowerment and tackle the structural drivers of women’s HIV risk could be important in fishing communities. Keywords: transactional sex; gender power relations; fishing communities; HIV (Published: 14 June 2012) Citation: MacPherson EE et al. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2012, 15(Suppl 1):17364 http://www.jiasociety.org/content/15/3/17364 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.15.3.17364This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- HIV and syphilis prevalence and associated risk factors among fishing communities of Lake Victoria, UgandaSexually Transmitted Infections, 2011
- Effect of concurrent sexual partnerships on rate of new HIV infections in a high-prevalence, rural South African population: a cohort studyThe Lancet, 2011
- Prevalence and risk factors for sexually transmitted infections in a high-risk occupational group: the case of fishermen along Lake Victoria in Kisumu, KenyaInternational Journal of STD & AIDS, 2010
- ‘I just need to be flashy on campus’: female students and transactional sex at a university in ZimbabweCulture, Health & Sexuality, 2010
- AIDS and the irrationalBMJ, 2008
- Structural approaches to HIV preventionThe Lancet, 2008
- Behavioural strategies to reduce HIV transmission: how to make them work betterThe Lancet, 2008
- Culture, changing livelihoods, and HIV/AIDS discourse: Reframing the institutionalization of fish‐for‐sex exchange in the Zambian Kafue FlatsCulture, Health & Sexuality, 2007
- Structural Violence and Clinical MedicinePLoS Medicine, 2006
- Qualitative Research: Reaching the parts other methods cannot reach: an introduction to qualitative methods in health and health services researchBMJ, 1995