“There is nothing to fence us in”: Men’s extramarital sex and married women’s HIV risk in rural Papua New Guinea


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

5067.0: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 10:00 AM

Abstract #116394

“There is nothing to fence us in”: Men’s extramarital sex and married women’s HIV risk in rural Papua New Guinea

Holly Wardlow, PhD, MPH, Anthropology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada, 416-978-2199, hwardlow@chass.utoronto.ca

Topic: This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study exploring married women's HIV risk in a rural Papua New Guinea community characterized by longstanding male out-migration (typically to find work at resource extraction sites such as mines), and by severe recent contraction of the local economy due to currency devaluation and the closure of public services. This study explored how gender inequality, labor structures, and male prestige structures combine to put married women at risk for HIV infection. Methods: Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 40 married men, 25 married women, and 6 key informants (STD clinic staff, leaders of faith-based NGOs), as well as 6 months of participant observation focused on family life, AIDS awareness campaigns, and women's groups. Findings: Most married men in this rural community engage in extramarital sex. The predominant type of interaction is described by men as casual, brief in duration, often preceded by heavy drinking, not mediated by sex-brokers, and not occurring within sex work institutions (i.e. brothels). Economic factors (particularly male labor migration), combine with social factors (sex-segregated patterns of socializing, the importance of bridewealth marriage for social reproduction, the atomistic nature of sex work in this context), and cultural influences (male prestige hierarchies) to shape the likelihood and nature of men's extramarital sexual behavior. A minority of men did not engage in extramarital sex; protective factors included self-identifying as “very Christian” or “traditionalist.” Implications: Effective HIV/AIDS interventions need to acknowledge the structural factors that make extramarital sex a common male practice.

Learning Objectives:

Learning objectives

After having listened to this presentation, audience members will be able to
- • Discuss the methods used by the systematic ethnographic research project
- • Describe the characteristics of rural Papua New Guinea men’s extramarital sexual interactions, including their HIV risk behaviors
- • Identify the social, economic and cultural factors that shape these risk behaviors, and
- • Discuss the implications of these findings for HIV/AIDS prevention policy, particularly as it concerns married women’s risk.
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

HIV/AIDS Risk for Married Women
The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA