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For the record, research to examine sex
Susan Pietrzyk
February 08, 2009

Back in November, I organized and was part of a discussion forum that explored the topic of sexual vulnerabilities as well as some of the challenges associated with conducting research concerning sex/sexuality. I provided introductory comments from the perspective of being an anthropologist interested in the ways HIV/AIDS has transformed spaces to understand and speak about sex. Emphasizing that in most African countries, HIV transmission happens through sex; thus, for nearly 30 years knowledge generated about HIV and AIDS is also knowledge about sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, sexual identities, sexual subjectivities, and sexual vulnerabilities.

Six distinct, yet related, concepts interwoven into human sexual potential. A potential which extends beyond the act of sex and serves as a path through which individuals embody, express, and experience sexual desires and sexual selves. Like most human attributes, sex is such that societal dynamics and life experiences, both pleasurable and painful, shape the ways sexual potential is embraced - as individuals, in perceptions of others, and in relationships with others.

With this background, each of the panelists spoke about projects they are working on. Through poetry, fiction, and qualitative social science research methods, the panelists highlighted the ways sexualities - how they are understood and practiced as well as emotionally lived and dynamically not static - contain layered sets of meanings and complications. Following the presentations, the audience engaged in a lively discussion. Repeatedly people commented that there are not enough spaces for people to speak about sex. Yet also, noting that on the ground experience, through for example, NGO programming, family counseling, or field-based research, indicates that Zimbabweans are eager and searching for opportunities to speak about sex.

Equally, discussions focused on issues interlocked to sex, such as concurrent partnerships, marriage, HIV/AIDS, condoms, and violence/abuse. Notable was the attention given to unraveling what concurrent partnering involves, namely a (connected) network of sexual activity. Or the idea that when a husband or wife has sex with someone other than his or her spouse, that someone (e.g. sex worker or garden boy) is likely having sex with another person. The another person is likely having sex with an additional person. And so on. As I said, a network. Kind of like a spider web. The ever-expanding nature suggests that sexual networks represent a lot of people in bed together. Not literally in bed all at the same time; rather in bed together in that with each sexual relationship, who else each participant is having sex with can have an impact on sexual health. This is the ripple effect of a sexual network. In Zimbabwe and many places in the world, often there are hesitancies to acknowledge the existence and extent of sexual networks. However, data can be revealing. A recent survey by PSI indicates that in Zimbabwe, 33% of men and 29% of women have more than one regular sexual partner. This means that roughly one-third of the men and one-third of the women in the country are potentially nodes in sexual networks.

Summary of the presentations

Catherine Makoni-s short story entitled Letters to my Cousin poignantly brought home the notion that possessing the lived experiences and factual knowledge to advise a relative how to lead a sexually safe life does not always translate into the relative embracing the advice. Additionally, being an advisor likely involves a reflective journey concerning one-s own experiences as well as broader societal views surrounding sex and relationships. The story is a series of letters written by a 30-something professional woman to her university student cousin (Jane). In expressing concern that Jane is dating a man ten years her senior, the older cousin attempts to help Jane realize the lies she is being told. He-s married and not telling you. He-s cognizant that being older gives him financial and emotional power over you, making it difficult for you, for example, to insist he use a condom. As the letters unfold, the older cousin gives Jane an example of a friend (Barbara) who was in the same situation, again trying to expose Jane-s boyfriend as not forthcoming with the truth.

And like your boyfriend, he did not want his children to meet his girlfriend until he was sure the relationship was going somewhere. In case you didn-t get the meaning here, let me be blunt. The only place that man wanted that relationship to go was to Barbara-s flat, and specifically Barbara-s bed. It is such a classic lie that some men in this country are so fond of.

During the discussion period, Catherine acknowledged that some motivation to write the story stemmed from feeling there-s a disconnection between generations. Younger women feel their experiences, particularly in relationships with men, are unique to them. But, they are not unique. The story draws out this disconnect and as the story comes to a close, the older cousin emphasizes her advice is not merely relationship advice. Instead, it might be a matter of life and death.

Do you what the tragedy would be Jane? Your contracting the HIV virus at the age of 21. But do you know what the greater tragedy would be? It would be not learning anything from the lives of our mothers. Your mother was the nicest person you could find. Do you remember the testimonies during her funeral? That she was humble. She was gentle. She was kind. She was meek. Do you remember people saying what a good and faithful wife she was? How even when she was in pain, she would struggle to her knees to pray. She died Jane. She followed her husband, your father, to his grave. And that could easily be your fate too, if you do not learn from her life. Perhaps they did not know better, but we certainly do. Perhaps she didn-t have a choice, but you do.

Further, the older cousin makes no apologies as she sees this as a situation where sugarcoating the issues will not help. The older cousin is concerned Jane is heading toward a toxic relationship. She uses her letters to convey to Jane what she feels mothers and daughters, historically, have been conditioned to not discuss.

Our people believe that a mother should never tell her daughter to leave an abusive husband. That is tantamount to breaking that daughter-s relationship. An unforgivable sin. But. How many mothers, after their daughters have died at the hands of abusive husbands, have wished that they-d whisked their daughters to safety. Society be damned. How many mothers have stood over the graves of their daughters, mourning the premature death of a daughter who took her own life because living with an abusive spouse was just too painful. How many mothers do you think have stood over their daughter-s graves and wished they-d grabbed their daughter by the hand and run for dear life.

With a similar focus on the unspoken, Patience Mandishona, in outlining results of a research project assessing HIV/AIDS interventions at GALZ, astutely suggested that we all live in (sex) closets of one form or another. As Patience noted, the closet is "an enclosed space where you do not want to open up and share." The closet is potentially doubly isolating for individuals involved in same-sex relationships. First are hesitancies and complexities around speaking about any type of sex which can put one in a closet. And second, the associated risks of intolerance and discrimination for a man or woman to speak openly about a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex.

Importantly, through this research project, GALZ is continuing programmes for its members while also working to encourage the larger NGO sector to consider and integrate the needs of same-sex practicing people, particularly with HIV/AIDS-related work. A type of integration garnering increased attention in the region.

As noted in the discussion period, much of the increased attention stems from growing understanding of the broader perspective, that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights are actually human rights. Thus in the context of provision of HIV and AIDS services, LGBT communities must be brought into the fold of programmatic design and implementation. In Zimbabwe, evidence of this shift toward greater awareness, acceptance, and inclusion is emerging in the work of ASOs, notably SAfAIDS and also in the National AIDS Council (NAC) 2006-2010 strategic plan.

The document specifically mentions men who have sex with men (MSM), defined as men who do not identify as gay or bisexual, but have sex with other men and in some cases, while also having sexual relationships with women.

At the other end of the open up and share spectrum, PSI-s Wellington Mushayi drew on data where people spoke in detail about concurrent sexual partnerships. In the context of continuing to promote partner reduction, the research also took realistic recognition that overlapping sexual relationships exist in Zimbabwe. The presentation was entitled: Small House, Hure, Sugar Daddies, and Garden Boys: A Qualitative Study of Heterosexual Concurrent Sexual Partnerships among Men and Women in Zimbabwe. The first aspect of the project created a space for roughly 150 participants aged 18 to 40 to outline and define the scenarios around which they are having concurrent sexual relationships. The presentation highlighted sexual activity that was most commonly occurring in addition to with a spouse. For men it was wife plus sex worker, small house, divorced/single woman, young girl. For women it was husband plus garden boy, boyfriend, sugar daddy, driver, businessman, foreigner.

With these combinations identified, the presentation went on to outline some of the reasons why individuals pursue sexual relationships outside of marriage. The focus group discussions revealed that men and women feel social and economic pressures to have multiple sexual partners. I imagine these pressures to be real; at the same time, the respondents spoke honestly and indicated that one cut to the chase reason for sex outside marriage revolves around seeking sexual pleasure. It is a case of subscribing to the belief that someone other than a spouse is more skilled and adventurous in bed. Unsettling was the revelation among the respondents that most use condoms inconsistently and hold the perception that concurrent sexual partnering represents a low risk for sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV. Whatever the reasons, the research makes clear that people tend to believe the benefits outweigh the risks, as Wellington noted in conclusion: "For some women and young men, concurrent sexual partnerships meet social and economic needs that may prove more compelling than health needs."

The panel of speakers included a mix of artists and social scientists. The aim here was to highlight the different, yet equally probing, insightful, and valuable ways of engaging social issues and producing knowledge. As well as drawing out the ways complex topics such as sex and its interconnections to economic, political, and socio-cultural circumstances benefit from an approach involving the use of qualitative or experience-based data. For example, both fictionalized accounts and social scientific research have the ability to tease out reflections individuals make. Often tapping into thought processes and the ways people navigate what they experience, the choices they make, and in turn, potentially adjust to the world around them. Ethel Kabwato opened and closed the programme with several poems which provided insight into the intricacies of day to day to life and the ways people navigate choices between vocalizing injustices and suffering in silence. Her poem entitled Remember me tells the layered story of a woman remembering her past. The narrator speaks, in the present, to a childhood friend revealing fond memories as well as what has been her sanctuary for private tears. The words are a poignant rendering of someone drawing connections and piecing together an untold story. Each line unravels layers, and as the poem concludes, revealed is what wants to be told.

I still listen to Mutukudzi with much passion
But only during the day
With Mama-s Jackie O-s sunglasses shielding the heat
Night time is when they come for me
As he used to do
Creeping in my blankets
My muffled cries are the childish cry of a seven year old
Remember me Terry?

Ethel-s poem along with each of the presentations, effectively add to growing awareness that understandings and solutions when it comes to circumstances associated with sexual relationships do not rest solely in statistics and hard science. Channeling intellectual energies toward examining what people experience and how people negotiate the complex worlds around them represents an effective path to embrace the process of how new ideas form and how change takes hold.

Summary of the group discussions

Charity Maruta, Director of International Video Fair (IVF) served as moderator for the discussion. Given her background as Executive Producer of the film Sex in the City (Harare) in a Time of AIDS, Charity is skilled in fostering an open and honest environment for discussion. As a project, Sex in the City brought together 14 Zimbabweans for six days of discussions concerning sex. In blending documentary film making techniques with social science research methods, the project captured, on film, insights concerning, for example, the ways (male and female) condoms can be an exciting part of foreplay, personal stories concerning experiences with violence and/or sexual abuse, and the ways certain sexual positions are more pleasurable for men while other sexual positions are more pleasurable for women. The film demonstrates that one of the first steps to break the sex is taboo belief is to create spaces for discussions. During the week of filming, once provided space, the group relished in the opportunity to share, open up, and expand their sexual minds through conversations, laughs, and a few tears. The film will be released soon and I have no doubt it will effectively enhance understanding that we potentially put our emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual selves at risk by being silent when it comes to sex.

Equally, on this November day at Alliance Française a group of roughly 30 people relished in the opportunity to speak about sex. The discussion lasted an hour. It was lively and wide-ranging. In my view, the panelists and the audience walked away with greater appreciation on two interrelated fronts. Firstly, sex is both an emotional topic as well as a topic where the temptation to stereotype looms large. Secondly, much of the discussion made apparent how difficult it is conduct research on sex. Not so much difficult because of the over-used mantra that in Africa sex is taboo and therefore, research is not possible. I don-t believe that and this event is evidence to the contrary. Rather, difficult because for each decision concerning research design, there is usually a solid argument in support of a different decision.

Word choice, emotions, and letting data speak

The issue of emotion entered the discussions early as several people raised questions about the use of hure in the title of the presentation by Wellington Mushayi from PSI. Hure is a Shona word meaning whore. In some instances, hure denotes either a man or a woman who sleeps around, but most often references a prostitute. The concern was that the word is derogatory and offensive, particularly to women. Some of the female focus group participants indicated they have sex with younger men; commonly, referred to as garden boys and the relationships, in some cases, involve providing cash. From an historical perspective, garden boy is offensive given its place within colonial discourses and its power to cast colonial subjects as uncivilized. However, garden boy is an English term, just doesn-t carry the same sting of a Shona word and in the present day, I suspect it-s becoming harder to interpret garden boy as derogatory or offensive. In fact, the opposite interpretation might be emerging. Garden boy elicits visions of a hunky, buff young man there to provide a woman pleasure and in turn, develop a stud reputation among male peers. You can almost imagine a garden boy beaming and saying: How cool is this, I-m having sex with these hot women, I don-t have to marry them, and they give me money. The hure versus garden boy terminology makes apparent an all too common linguistic sex/gender bias.

Wellington was appreciative of the comments and acknowledged that there are negative consequences to using hure, yet made the important point that it-s one thing to quibble over a title. But, there is not the same space to quibble over data. In focus group discussions, importantly conducted in Shona, men were asked whom they have sex with. One of their responses was hure. Therefore, to use hure in a summary of findings represents an accurate reflection of what research participants reported. In fact, I see use of hure as a useful finding in and of itself. Wellington indicated that hure cropped up, not just once, but often. This means that a significant number of men in the focus groups had no problem using the word hure. Further, their comfortableness potentially reveals something about how they view sex and women. As a researcher, why sugarcoat? That is the aim of engaging people in qualitative research, to probe and to get them to speak honestly. Sometimes complete honesty can be hard for the researcher to stomach, but it can make for richer data. It-s a bit like ZANU-PF and power sharing. Yes they-ve signed on, but what do they really think about power sharing. The real truth needs to be exposed (not sugarcoated) as a step in the path to fight for change. Unfortunately, PSI's research project, to a degree, exposes that it-s not uncommon for Zimbabwean men to think of women who provide sex in exchange for cash, not as sex workers who have made a choice, but as disposable whores with no rights who are being paid to service them. To change that perception, one needs to know fully and be honest about the extent that it exists.

Getting beyond stereotypes

Throughout discussions, the research process was a prominent theme. It seemed, to a degree, discussions went in these directions because it-s easy to pick through how a project was undertaken. And harder to let your guard down and think through, relate at a personal level, and share yourself in terms of what a project is revealing. In fact, one person noted that the group had not discussed Ethel-s poem. Noting that the poem touched on abuse; therefore, perhaps it would be beneficial to speak about the links between sex and violence. The suggestion was met with silence. Ironically, silence was also a theme within the poem.

Despite research process discussion having been diversionary, it served as a useful lens through which to examine the meanings and implications of the research results. Both GALZ and PSI undertook qualitative research where conversations with people represent the data. As noted during the presentations and group discussions, one risk with this form of data is the tendencies for respondents to give politically correct answers. Respondents, on most occasions, understand a project-s focus, aims, etc. and therefore, might be inclined to provide answers they think researchers want to hear. With topics such as sex and HIV/AIDS, this can be a particularly prominent dynamic. A researcher never knows with certainty if respondents respond honestly. Yet there are indications when respondents don-t give the whole truth. For example, there-s often stereotyping attached to views about sex/sexuality. Men like to have sex more than women do. Sex is no good once married. Men cannot be monogamous. I had sex with the older man because he paid my school fees. And so on. Like any stereotype, there are grains of truth, yet inherently stereotypes are likely not telling us anything particularly new. When data reveals an abundance of stereotypical comments, it-s worth considering not only, that respondents may have shied away from revealing the full story, but also that perhaps the questions asked did not probe deep enough.

One member of the audience expressed concern that PSI's data on concurrent sexual partnerships might be falling into the trap of predictable results and in turn, perpetuating stereotypes. I certainly do not want to discredit the important project PSI undertook. There is no doubt in my mind they collected valuable data which will benefit their programming as well as the broader NGO sector. But, the thing is this. PSI made choices with respect to project design and what to highlight in a presentation, as any organization or individual researcher would do. In this case, a major thrust was to identify, categorize/define, and name who the concurrent sex partners are. You see this in the title and the presentation as well. Thus, it does become worth asking: Is it a major finding that people have sex with spouses, hure, small house, garden boy, boyfriend, girlfriend, sugar daddy, driver, foreigner? Is it a major finding that people have multiple sexual partners to seek satisfaction? To lessen social and economic pressure?

Some might consider it a major finding that multiple sexual relationships are roughly the same among Zimbabwean men and women. To me, it is not the statistic which is significant (29% of women report multiple sexual partners.) Instead, significant are tendencies to be shocked to the gills by this finding. I find the shock suspicious. Men and women are sexual beings. In more countries than not, and if people give honest answers, it-s not inconceivable that multiple sexual partnering would run at roughly the same level for men and women. Accurate data on this is, however, hard to come by. For example, I accessed data from Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) in 24 sub-Saharan African countries. The data shows that the average percent across those 24 countries of multiple sexual partnering in the previous year to be 22% for men and 3% for women. In Zimbabwe, the 2005 DHS data indicates 14% of men and 1% of women had multiple sexual partners during the previous year. This means one of two things: 1) PSI's 2006 survey is showing a jump from 14 to 33% among men and a jump from 1 to 29% among women, in just one year or 2) People lie when asked to participate in demographic health surveys.

Worse than acting shocked is refusing to believe that some women do actually have multiple sexual partners. Whether stemming from elements within women-s rights movements wanting to place blame on men as the only ones who have sex with more than one person. Or those who think in double standards, that it-s perfectly fine (or a god given right) for men to have multiple sexual partners, but it-s morally wrong for women to do so. Too much shock and refusal blend into a dangerous perpetuation of the false stereotype that all Zimbabwean women are inherently sexually passive.

Again, I don-t mean to diminish PSI-s work, but I would advocate and what came out of the group discussion was the need to delve into the data deeper. Studies such as this one need to be more than a definitional listing of who people have sex with. The analyses need to unpack, in detail and through experiential data, the social and economic dynamics creating pressure, and how these pressures potentially shape choices around sexual relationships. In addition, as Wellington indicated is the case, to use the data as a baseline for further and more targeted qualitative studies. My suggestions would be studies that avoid predicable and simplistic sampling and analysis according to marital status. Presenting data on marital infidelities is not the same thing as presenting data on concurrent sexual partnering.

On the issue of PSI-s focus on married versus single individuals, the discussion brought forth two important points. Firstly, focus on married couples and only naming their additional sex partners has limits, and I would respectfully submit it-s a conservative and shortsighted way to look at things. In paraphrasing the comments of one person in the audience, the claim is focus on married people, but at the end of the day, the sample, by connection, is full of single people. The comment is highlighting that obviously, the married couples in the sample are not single, but the marital status of hure, small house, garden boy, boyfriend, girlfriend, sugar daddy, driver, and foreigner is unknown. Likely they are single. Single and part of the concurrency pattern under examination. And remember the definition of concurrency implies that one is examining a network of people connected through sexual activity. Some in the network are married and some are not. Therefore, a study on concurrency ought not to claim focus on either married or single people. Focus is on the network.

To look only at married couples is similar to the ill-conceived logic often used in the study of sex work. The sex worker garners all the attention, while the clients of the sex worker, the people who make sex work a viable profession, generally don-t appear within the mix of the research. In PSI's research, the married individuals are parallel to the sex worker. That-s where attention is directed (toward the married individuals) with little consideration of the views, motivations, etc. as expressed by who the married individuals, in addition to the spouse, are having sex with. My point is that examining concurrency and examining marital infidelity are not the same thing. Therefore, sampling and analysis along the lines of marital status has limited use and detracts from a fuller understanding of the extent of the sexual network. In my view, the dream focus group for a study of concurrency would consist of following. Non-monogamous married male, non-monogamous married female, female sex worker (or small house), garden boy (or sugar daddy), sexually active single male, and sexually active single female. All in one room for a discussion. In my mind, this group of people would provide interesting comments concerning concurrency and the ensuing sexual networks. More so than a husband or wife who speaks about their extra sex partner(s) in an abstract way. Abstract in the sense that the sex worker or garden boy is not part of the conversation (the data), yet a node in the sexual network.

Secondly and more broadly related, discussion around PSI-s focus on married versus single brought forth that it is challenging to conduct research on sexual relationships. In the case of PSI-s research and as described above, one major challenge concerns sampling. Or the crucial need for a group of people who can bring the conversations (the data) beyond stereotypes. As one person in the audience suggested, the aim is to delve into the nuances; specifically, the links sexual activity have to the pursuit of influence, control, and power. How those dynamics come to the surface and play out. The subtleties of what drives certain situations to be sexually charged. The ways that people navigate and experience the sexual choices they make. To get beyond the standard and sometimes sugarcoated findings. What-s commonly known is this. Often married (or partnered) individuals are not monogamous. Often men and women pursue sexual relationships to lessen economic pressures. Often individuals have multiple sex partners with knowledge of potential social and health risks.

I believe there are tendencies to present these known dynamics (as described above) over and over again as "new findings" because it-s safer and less controversial.

In turn then, predictable advocacy emerges that is pro-monogamy, anti-transactional sex, and insistent on more training on sexual health. That all can work well and good. To a degree. But it isn-t probing enough; therein lays the challenges in conducting research on sex. To get beyond firmly fixed views about sex and relationships. To not just speak openly about sex, but also to have a truly open mind about what sex entails. To examine, without judgment, the diversity of sexual desires, pairings, practices, and acts that exist. Not doing so will likely yield a sample of people who repeat what is already known.

In the case of GALZ-s research, the potential challenges are different, but also, precisely the same. The starting place for GALZ certainly involves focus on same-sex attraction. Because GALZ is a membership organization, this yields a defined sample that, to a degree, provides a representative view of the LGBT community in Zimbabwe. There are limits to the representativeness given the diversity among GALZ members, and given that there are plenty of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in Zimbabwe who are not members of GALZ. Despite the slightly neater sampling possibility, there are different (and layered) challenges for GALZ. The first layer being that you are asking people to speak about something they feel (same sex attraction) which has limited degrees of acceptance in the country. On top of that, it-s common for men and women attracted to the same sex to engage in a self-reflective journey as part of the process to stand up and proudly say: I-m gay. What this means is that any sample of participants likely consists of people at different points in the journey of self sexual acceptance. Where one is at in that journey potentially is a factor differently shaping their comments. These dynamics create a unique context as heterosexuality is accepted in the country and heterosexuals generally don-t go through a parallel process to stand up and proudly say: I-m straight.

Further, in her presentation Patience indicated that politically correct answers possibly stem from pressure to embrace categories or labels such as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. There are certainly important rights-based and other reasons to find solidarity in sexual identities. The concern is when this happens at the expense of expressing the experiences of same-sex attraction in one-s own terms. That said. And I would add that over-reliance on representative views and sexual identities can lead to stereotypes. I mean, what-s an LGBT community anyway? The research challenges are precisely the same. GALZ-s research is no different from that of PSI or any research on sexual relationships. We-re talking about qualitative research concerning who people have sex with, why they do so, what the experiences are like, and the potential ways people feel sexually vulnerable. The aim of getting beyond stereotypes, and into the nuances. Whether gay or straight, sexual relationships take their cues from a mix of contextual biological, cultural, economic, political, and social factors. One of the overarching dynamics which brings pressures, emotions, risks, and makes sex a complexly multi-faceted topic is the pursuit of, yes, love and satisfaction, but also, the pursuit of power. Unraveling the ways power plays out and strategizing how to shift power imbalances represent central goals for any project which examines some combination of sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, sexual identities, sexual subjectivities, and sexual vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

On 28 November 2008, roughly 30 people participated in a discussion forum which was advertised as an exploration of the topic of sexual vulnerabilities. At times, the presentations and discussions came to be more about the challenges associated with conducting research concerning sexual relationships. Yet, present was a group of people not afraid to ask the difficult questions and eager to build their own and a broader societal knowledge base concerning the layered sets of meanings and complications surrounding the topic of sex and its various interconnected issues.

One final note. Thank you to the panelists and the audience. For the insights provided during this event as well as the insights and support during the course of my two years in Harare. Thank you to Kubatana for publishing this summary. While I believe this account an accurate reflection of the presentations and discussions, keep in mind that I have the benefit of hindsight. I have had the opportunity to reflect on what transpired. In turn, and as any writer does to a degree, I am putting this summary within the context of my own views. If I misrepresented the comments of anyone in attendance, I apologize. In the end, my hope is that this summary as well as the ways in which I have integrated additional perspectives will serve as a tool for planning similar events, future research projects, and continued dialogue.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

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