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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
5067.0: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 9:30 AM

Abstract #114025

Modern marriage, extramarital sex, and HIV risk in southeastern Nigeria

Daniel Jordan Smith, PhD, MPH, Department of Anthropology, Brown University, Box 1921, 128 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02912, (401) 863-7065, Daniel_J_Smith@brown.edu

Topic: This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study that examined how marriage is changing in Nigeria, focusing especially on the relationship between marriage and the social organization of extramarital sexual relationships. The overall aim of the study was to assess how the dynamics of contemporary marriage intertwine with current patterns of (mostly male) extramarital sex to influence married women's risk of contracting HIV. Methods: Data collection involved: 20 extended marital case histories; 16 key informant interviews (community leaders, doctors and NGO personnel working with HIV-infected populations, CSWs, and people living with HIV); collection of popular culture related to marriage and extramarital sex; and six months of participant observation focused on venues where patterns in marital and extramarital relationships were revealed. Findings: For married men in the study extramarital sex was common and widely considered normal. Although the expectations and organization of marriage were changing towards a more individualized endeavor in which couples viewed both the choice of a spouse and the marriage relationship itself to be increasingly a personal project rather than an extended family matter, “love” marriage did not prevent men's extramarital sex. Further, the strategies men and women used in navigating their more modern marriages made it difficult for women to confront their husband's infidelity directly. Implications: In southeastern Nigeria, men's extramarital sex is a structurally embedded behavior. Effective interventions to reduce marital HIV transmission must take into account the structural sources of men's extramarital relationships and the marital dynamics that lead to married women's HIV risk.

Learning Objectives:

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    Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Gender

    Presenting author's disclosure statement:

    I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

    [ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

    HIV/AIDS Risk for Married Women

    The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA