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


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 - 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:

After having listened to this presentation, audience members will be able to

• describe the methods and the utility of a systematic, comparative ethnographic research project;
• understand the complex connections between changes in marriage and the social organization of extramarital sex in southeastern Nigeria;
• list and explain the primary kinds of extramarital relationships in which men in southeastern Nigeria engage, including their HIV risk behaviors, social and economic exchanges, and relative levels of public visibility;
• discuss the social, economic and cultural factors that underlie and influence these risk behaviors; and
• articulate the implications for public health policy of these findings.

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