Cohabitation, marriage, and 'sexual monogamy' in Nairobi's slums

dc.contributor.authorHattori, M.K.
dc.contributor.authorDodoo, F.N.A.
dc.date.accessioned2019-04-04T09:39:51Z
dc.date.available2019-04-04T09:39:51Z
dc.date.issued2007-04
dc.description.abstractThe current study investigates the extent to which sexual exclusivity-the restriction of one's sexual engagements to a single partner-prevails across various marital status, union type, and co-residence categories among Nairobi's poorest residents, slum dwellers. This question is central to the spread of HIV in the increasingly urban and poor, high prevalence countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where transmission is primarily via heterosexual sex. In many circles, sexual exclusivity is considered a prominent feature of the marriage institution. Yet, marriage and cohabitation are often not easily distinguishable in sub-Saharan Africa, meaning that the frequent use, as a proxy, of the "in union" category, which includes married as well as cohabiting persons can, at best, be considered tenuous. Using the 2000 Nairobi Cross-Sectional Slum Survey (NCSS), this paper confirms that marriage is associated with higher reports of sexual exclusivity even in settings where poverty provokes risky behavior. The finding, here, is of lower risk of HIV infection for married respondents, with a smaller effect observed among non-married cohabiters. Converse to the implied benefits of marriage, though, women with co-wives are more likely to report multiple partners. The implications of these findings are discussed. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.en_US
dc.identifier.otherVolume 64, Issue 5, Pages 1067-1078
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.10.005
dc.identifier.urihttp://ugspace.ug.edu.gh/handle/123456789/29019
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherSocial Science and Medicineen_US
dc.subjectCohabitationen_US
dc.subjectHIV/AIDSen_US
dc.subjectKenyaen_US
dc.subjectMarriageen_US
dc.subjectSexual exclusivityen_US
dc.subjectSub-Saharan Africaen_US
dc.subjectUrban povertyen_US
dc.titleCohabitation, marriage, and 'sexual monogamy' in Nairobi's slumsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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