Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) Collections

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Browsing Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) Collections by Author "Hart, Graham J."
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    Female control of sexuality: illusion or reality? Use of vaginal products in South west Uganda.
    (Elsevier Science Ltd., 2001) Green, Gill ; Pool, Robert ; Harrison, Susan ; Hart, Graham J. ; Wilkinson, Joanie ; Nyanzi, Stella ; Whitworth, James A. G.
    This paper reports on a trial of vaginal products that were distributed and used by 131 women and 21 men in south west Uganda. It focuses specifically upon the issue of female control in heterosexual relationships and examines whether methods which are ostensibly under women’s control, will in practice give women greater control of their sexual health. Participants were invited to select two from a range of vaginal products that included the female condom, contraceptive sponge, film, tablets, foam and gel, and use each for five weeks and their favourite product for a further three months. They were interviewed up to seven times over a five-month period. Although the women perceived that a major advantage of the products (with the exception of the female condom) was that they could be used secretly, less than 40% were using the products without their partner’s knowledge after one week and this proportion declined over time with only 22% using the products secretly after ten weeks. In the main male partners were told as women felt it their duty to inform them. In general the women were very much more positive about the products than they were about the male condom, as were the men. A contributory factor to their popularity among women was the greater control they gave them. Even though, use of these products in practice often involved negotiation with male partners, the fact that use was contingent on women’s action was empowering and increased somewhat their ability to control their sexual health.
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    Women's attitudes to condoms and female-controlled means of protection against HIV and STDs in South-Western Uganda.
    (Taylor and Francis, 1999) Hart, Graham J. ; Pool, Robert ; Green, Gillian ; Harrison, Susan ; Nyanzi, Stella ; Whitworth, James A. G.
    The consistent and correct use of the male condom makes it highly effective in both disease prevention and as a contraceptive method. However, it is also well recognized that its use is under men's control. Because of this vital limitation, there have been frequent calls for female-controlled methods of HIV prevention, particularly from women from sub-Saharan Africa. Here we report on data collected in focus-group discussions (FGDs) with women aged 17-54 in South-Western Uganda. A total of 138 women, from rural villages, urban family planning clinics and a truck-stop town, were recruited to participate in 18 FGDs on the male condom, the female condom and existing formulations of vaginal microbicidal products. Three themes emerged: (i) problems with men's control over the male condom, (ii) the importance of control over and secrecy about protective measures and (iii) sexual pleasure associated with different methods. We found that the female condom, while being perceived as an improvement over the male condom, was recognized as having limited value because of the need to agree its use prior to sex taking place. Other products were considered to be significantly better than the female condom; the sponge, in particular, was perceived as having advantages over every other product. Women like the fact that it could be inserted some time before, and left in place some time after, sexual intercourse, that it was effective for multiple instances of intercourse, and that men would be unaware that it was being employed. Female-controlled methods to prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and to increase reproductive choice, hold the promise of ceding some control over sexual and reproductive health to women.