Living with death in a time of AIDS: A rural South African case study

Aims: To examine how a rural community profoundly affected by escalating rates of largely AIDS-related deaths of young and middle-aged people makes sense of this phenomenon and its impact on their everyday lives. Methods: Data were collected in Agincourt subdistrict, Limpopo Province. Twelve focus groups were constituted according to age and gender and met three times (a total of 36 focus-group discussions [FGDs]). The FGDs explored sequentially people's expectations of their lives in the ``new'' South Africa, their interpretations of the acceleration of death amongst the young and middle-aged, and their understandings of HIV/AIDS. Discussions were recorded, fully transcribed, and thematically analysed. Results: Respondents acknowledged escalating death rates in their community, yet few referred directly to HIV/AIDS as the cause. Rather, respondents focused on the social and cultural causes of death, including the erosion of cultural norms and traditions such as cultural taboos on sex. There are many competing versions of what HIV/AIDS is, what causes it and how it is spread, ranging from scientific explanations to conspiracy theories. Findings highlight the relationship between AIDS and other traditional diseases with some respondents suggesting that AIDS is a new form of other longstanding illnesses. Conclusions: This study points to the centrality of cultural explanations in understanding ``bad death'' (AIDS death) in the Agincourt area. Physical illness is understood to be a symptom of ``cultural damage''. Implications of this for public health practice and research are outlined.

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Men perspectives on attending antenatal care visits together with their pregnant partners in Misungwi district, rural Tanzania: a qualitative study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-33575/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Maendeleo Boniphace ◽

Dismas Matovelo ◽

Rose Laisser ◽

Hadija Swai ◽

Victoria Yohana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antenatal Care ◽

Health Workers ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Health Providers ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Men 2 ◽

Rural Tanzania ◽

Expectant Fathers ◽

And Gender

Abstract Background: Mens’attendance with their pregnant partners at facility-based antenatal care (ANC) visits is important for maternal and child health and gender equality yet remains uncommon in parts of rural Tanzania. This study examined men’s perspectives on attending ANC with their pregnant partners in Misungwi District, Tanzania.Methods: Twelve individual interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with fathers, expectant fathers, and in-depth interviews were done to health providers, volunteer community health workers, and village leaders. Interviews were recorded and transcribed in Swahili and later translated to English. The research team conducted thematic analysis to identify common themes among interviews. Results: We identified two broad themes on the barriers to male attendance at facility-based ANC visits: (1) Perceived exclusion during ANC visits among men (2) Traditional gender norms resulting to low attendance among men.Conclusion: Attendance at health facility for ANC visits by men with their pregnant partners in the study areas were challenged by structural and local cultural norms. At the facility men were uncomfortable to sit with women due to lack of specific waiting area for men and that they perceived to be neglected. Local cultural norms demanded women to have secrecy in pregnancy while men perceived not to have a role of being with their partners during ANC visits.

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Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to HIV/AIDS among learners in Vhembe district of Limpopo Province

Curationis ◽

10.4102/curationis.v30i3.1093 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

Author(s):

M. Davhana-Maselesele ◽

L.L. Lalendle ◽

U. Useh

Keyword(s):

Hiv And Aids ◽

Limpopo Province ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Descriptive Research ◽

Sources Of Knowledge ◽

And Gender ◽

Quantitative Descriptive ◽

Vhembe District ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices ◽

Hiv Aids

The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to HIV and AIDS among teenagers in rural schools in Vhembe district. This study focused on teenagers’ sources of knowledge about HIV/AIDS; their knowledge of how to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS; their knowledge of the methods of transmission of the disease; their knowledge of condoms and usage levels; and people with whom they are comfortable to talk about HIV/AIDS. This was a quantitative descriptive research design where a random sample of 128 participants between the ages of 14 and 19 years was selected. The participants were in grades 8 to 12. The study recommended that holistic HIV/AIDS preventive programmes which were culture and gender sensitive be developed. Custodians of culture should be involved in dealing with HIV/AIDS. Parents should also play their role in discussing HIV/AIDS with their children in a non-threatening environment.

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Men perspectives on attending antenatal care visits with their pregnant partners in Misungwi district, rural Tanzania: a qualitative study

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-03585-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Maendeleo Boniphace ◽

Dismas Matovelo ◽

Rose Laisser ◽

Hadija Swai ◽

Victoria Yohani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antenatal Care ◽

Health Workers ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Health Providers ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Men 2 ◽

Rural Tanzania ◽

Expectant Fathers ◽

And Gender

Abstract Background Mens’attendance with their pregnant partners at facility-based antenatal care (ANC) visits is important for maternal and child health and gender equality yet remains uncommon in parts of rural Tanzania. This study examined men’s perspectives on attending ANC with their pregnant partners in Misungwi District, Tanzania. Methods Twelve individual interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with fathers, expectant fathers, and in-depth interviews were done to health providers, volunteer community health workers, and village leaders. Interviews were recorded and transcribed in Swahili and later translated to English. The research team conducted thematic analysis to identify common themes among interviews. Results We identified two broad themes on the barriers to male attendance at facility-based ANC visits: (1) Perceived exclusion during ANC visits among men (2) Traditional gender norms resulting to low attendance among men. Conclusion Attendance at health facility for ANC visits by men with their pregnant partners in the study areas were challenged by structural and local cultural norms. At the facility men were uncomfortable to sit with women due to lack of specific waiting area for men and that they perceived to be neglected. Local cultural norms demanded women to have secrecy in pregnancy while men perceived not to have a role of being with their partners during ANC visits.

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‘In Exile, the Woman Became Everything’

Journal of Humanitarian Affairs ◽

10.7227/jha.054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 4-15

Author(s):

Dina Sidhva ◽

Ann-Christin Zuntz ◽

Ruba al Akash ◽

Ayat Nashwan ◽

Areej Al-Majali

Keyword(s):

Division Of Labour ◽

Small Scale ◽

Power Dynamics ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Social Responsibilities ◽

Humanitarian Action ◽

Unpaid Labour ◽

And Gender ◽

War Experience

This article explores the intersections of generational and gender dynamics with humanitarian governance in Jordan that cause shifts in the division of labour within displaced families. Drawing on life history interviews and focus group discussions with seventeen Syrian women in Jordan in spring 2019, we explore the monetary and non-monetary contributions of middle-aged females to the livelihoods of refugee households. Older women’s paid and unpaid labour holds together dispersed families whose fathers have been killed or incapacitated, or remain in Syria or in the Gulf. In doing so, many women draw on their pre-war experience of living with – or rather apart from – migrant husbands. Increased economic and social responsibilities coincide with a phase in our interviewees’ lifecycle in which they traditionally acquire greater authority as elders, especially as mothers-in-law. While power inequalities between older and younger Syrian women are not new, they have been exacerbated by the loss of resources in displacement. Our insights offer a counterpoint to humanitarian attempts at increasing refugees’ ‘self-reliance’ through small-scale entrepreneurship. For now, culturally appropriate and practically feasible jobs for middle-aged women are found in their living rooms. Supportive humanitarian action should allow them to upscale their businesses and address power dynamics within families.

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Arab Women and Work: The Interrelation Between Orientalism and Historiography

Hawwa ◽

10.1163/156920709x12511890014621 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 164-198

Author(s):

Malek Abisaab

Keyword(s):

Cultural Difference ◽

Middle Eastern ◽

Historical Context ◽

Legal Rights ◽

Middle Eastern Women ◽

The Social ◽

The Family ◽

The Sixties ◽

Cultural Taboos ◽

And Gender

AbstractThis essay examines the approaches and themes in two overlapping historiographical areas on women and labor since the sixties. The first area examines the scholarship on Lebanese women and modernization. The second area covers the scholarship on women, labor and the family in Arab Middle Eastern society. Despite their general critique of Orientalist representations of the “Muslim” woman, several scholars continue to invest cognate features of the modernization discourse and West-centered models of womanhood. For one, scholars have persistently stated that the social structures in Middle Eastern/Islamic society do not lend themselves to class or gendered divisions. Using classical Eurocentric criteria for gauging women's “empowerment,” these scholars tried to show that Arab working-women are unable to organize themselves on the basis of gender due to cultural taboos, sectarian affiliations, provincial loyalties, family authority, and lack of education. At times, “Islam” or “culture” is presented as operating from above-creating social attitudes that limit women's public activities and involvement in waged work. The primacy given to cultural difference prevents comparability between Western and Middle Eastern/Muslim women on the basis of shared socio-economic experiences. Several studies overlooked the complex interconnections among family, sect, class and gender expressed through the range of activities and experiences linking women's domestic and waged work. There is indeed an overwhelming focus on the ideas and attitudes of bourgeois woman and their legal rights, which are rarely analyzed in connection to historical context, economic arrangements, productive patterns, or social interest. Rather, they are discussed in connection to women's education and work and ultimately levels of modernization. These prevalent features of the historiographical literature give shape to new and subtle Orientalist narratives about Muslim/Middle Eastern women.

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Challenges Experienced by HIV/AIDS-Positive Women in Marital Relationships; A qualitative study

The Journal of Tolooebehdasht ◽

10.18502/tbj.v18i5.2282 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmad Kalateh Sadati ◽

Vajihe Taheri ◽

Soroor Hemmati

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Social Stigma ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Marital Relationships ◽

Sexual Relationships ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

The Social ◽

Hiv Aids

Introduction: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is alarmingly increasing. Considering the experiences of HIV/AIDS-positive patients, experiences of the women who took HIV/AIDS from their husbands –marital relationships- can be different. The purpose of this study was to describe the challenges of these women. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using focus group discussions with 10 women who took HIV/AIDS from their husbands. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by thematic analysis. Results: Data analysis showed that participants experienced a kind of compulsive social isolation. They could not interact with anyone except their parents. They suffered from social stigma because the disease is associated with the illicit sex label. From data analysis, three main themes of fear, marital despondency, and stigma emerged. Conclusion: The concerns and challenges of women who took HIV/AIDS from their marital relationships revealed that these women were exposed to the social strains because of having HIV / AIDS and stigma of illegitimate sexual relationships. In this regard, public awareness should be raised about this disadvantaged group of the community. To hit this target, individuals should be provided with the required information through schools as well as broadcasting and social media. Implementation of the counseling visits can create psychological and social support for these traumatized group and their families.

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Kenya: Community sensitization must precede alternative coming-of-age rite

10.31899/rh2002.1012 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Gender Equity ◽

Female Circumcision ◽

Coming Of Age ◽

Female Genital Cutting ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Rite Of Passage ◽

Group Discussions ◽

And Gender ◽

Life Education ◽

The Impact

Female genital cutting (FGC) is practiced as a rite of passage in over half of Kenya’s districts. Kenyan nongovernmental agency Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (MYWO) has long conducted community sensitization focused on discouraging this practice. In 1996, MYWO began implementing the “alternative rite” (AR) intervention in sensitized communities. Girls participating in AR receive family life education in seclusion, followed by a public graduation ceremony recognizing them as adults. They are not cut as part of the ceremony. In 2000, the Population Council carried out an assessment of the AR program that sought to identify the impact of MYWO’s activities on knowledge and attitudes regarding FGC, reproductive health, and gender equity. Data were collected through focus group discussions, interviews, household surveys, and case studies of AR-participating families. As this brief states, where cultural support for female circumcision is weakening, communities are more likely to accept sensitization messages encouraging abandonment of the practice and to participate in an alternative coming-of-age ceremony for girls. However, such alternative ceremonies must be preceded by extensive sensitization that changes attitudes and must be tailored to fit cultural norms for rite of passage.

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The Impact of Culture and Gender on the Production of Online Speech Acts among Jordanian Facebook Users

International Journal of Arabic-English Studies ◽

10.33806/ijaes2000.19.2.9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Speech Acts ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Speech Community ◽

Relevant Research ◽

Speech Communities ◽

The Social ◽

And Gender ◽

Arabic Speaking ◽

The Impact

This study of speech acts offers deep insights into the social structure and gender differences of any speech community. Most relevant research on online speech acts has shed much light on Western speech communities, neglecting the speech act behavior of Arabic speaking communities. This study aimed to examine the influence of gender differences and the Jordanian cultural norms on the use of speech acts in Facebook Status Updates (FSUs). A total of 1718 FSUs were collected over a period of 2 months. Then, they were categorized according to Searle’s speech acts taxonomy. Results showed that women made an average of 6 updates to their Facebook status, while men averaged four. In addition, the results revealed that females and males differ in their linguistic repertoires. Male participants were inclined to use more assertive speech acts, whereas females were more likely to use expressive speech acts. Islam and tribalism are factors that were found to play an important role in defining the cultural norms of the Jordanian speech community.

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Men perspectives on attending antenatal care visits together with their pregnant partners in Misungwi district, rural Tanzania: a qualitative study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-33575/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maendeleo Boniphace ◽

Dismas Matovelo ◽

Rose Laisser ◽

Hadija Swai ◽

Victoria Yohana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antenatal Care ◽

Health Workers ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Health Providers ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Men 2 ◽

Rural Tanzania ◽

Expectant Fathers ◽

And Gender

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Educational Problems of Children Orphaned by AIDS: A Study in Krishna, YSR Kadapa and Karimnagar Districts of Andhra Pradesh

Social Work Chronicle ◽

10.21863/swc/2016.5.1.010 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mutluri Abraham ◽

A.B.S.V. Ranga Rao

Keyword(s):

Tamil Nadu ◽

Andhra Pradesh ◽

Basic Education ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Aged People ◽

Aids Orphans ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

The Impact ◽

Hiv Aids

HIV/AIDS is one of the major social problems in developing countries like India. In 1986, the first HIV case was diagnosed by Dr. Suniti Salmon in a female sex worker from Tamil Nadu, India. Then gradually the HIV has been transmitted and diagnosed in all states of India. More than 6 million people in India are living with HIV/AIDS. The impact of HIV/AIDS is more on children, women and aged people. According to NACO, more than 2.1 million children, below age of 18 years have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. NACO defined AIDS orphan is a child who is less than 18 years of age whose mother or father or both have died of HIV/AIDS. This study makes an attempt to analyze the situation of AIDS orphans in three high prevalent districts of united Andhra Pradesh i.e. Krishna, YSR Kadapa, and Karimnagar, India. The study analyzed socio-economic demographic profile of the AIDS orphans, perceived stigma and discrimination, educational and psychological problems faced by AIDS orphans and suggested the better interventions to promote the quality of life among AIDS orphans. The study collected data from 316 AIDS orphans and also conducted 6 focus group discussions. The study found that there are many challenges facing by AIDS orphans to access the basic education.

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