Culture, Health & Sexuality最新文献

This paper examines how men in Germany reflect on (their) masculinities in the context of contraception and family planning. Through twelve qualitative interviews, three of which were couple interviews, the paper identifies two core dynamics: i) a move away from hegemonic masculinities towards alternative or caring versions of manhood; and ii) a shift from critical consciousness towards more gender-equitable contraceptive decision-making. (Self-) care and different positive and negative male role models are key themes in the first dynamic. The second dynamic documents how various life events and biographical narratives are central in forming a shift to more gender-equitable contraceptive decision-making. We apply and develop Freire's critical pedagogy to discourses in sexual and reproductive health and rights to argue that a self-reflective, conscious stance on masculinities can critically support gender-equitable contraceptive decision-making processes. Freire's theories offer a useful tool for advancing theory and practice in sexual and reproductive health and rights in Germany and elsewhere, moving beyond simply engaging men and boys and instead building a culture of continuous learning, reflection and action on the question of how one want to really be as a man.

Activism for abortion rights and access in Africa is a vibrant and diverse movement that has become more prominent in recent years. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with members and allies of the MAMA network (an African transnational pro-abortion activist network), this article explores the evolving landscape of feminist abortion rights activism in Africa, examining how activists navigate and reshape this complex terrain influenced by enduring historical, socio-cultural and political legacies. Employing the concept of the palimpsest as a lens, we examine how feminist organising for abortion rights and access unfolds in a context where historic scripts that limit African womens'-and African feminists'-agency have been imperfectly erased. We argue that activists record their experiences, strategies, successes and challenges on the societal landscape, creating a cumulative and evolving record, similar to a palimpsest, in which each contribution builds upon and reinterprets the layers that precede it. By foregrounding the interconnectedness of past and present struggles, the article contributes to deeper understanding of the complexities of feminist abortion activism in Africa, showing how these efforts contribute to broader struggles for gender and reproductive justice across the continent.

African societies have traditionally embraced communal child-rearing, where collective responsibility for children's well-being extends beyond familial ties. This ethos, rooted in the Southern African philosophy of ubuntu and the saying 'it takes a village to raise a child', remains relevant to addressing challenges such as teenage pregnancy, sexual harassment and violence while promoting girls' education. This study, conducted in south-western Uganda from May to June 2022, explored these issues against the backdrop of a surge in teenage pregnancies during COVID-19 lockdowns. It involved 143 participants, including 77 adolescent mothers aged 13-22 years. Betrayal emerged as a central theme in the experiences of teenage mothers, reflected in school dropouts, forced marriages and abandonment. Teenage pregnancy resulted in family tensions, loss of childhood opportunities, and persistent shame and blame. Unmarried adolescent mothers faced entrenched victimisation, perpetuating gender-based violence and limiting aspirations for education and personal growth. Findings underscore the importance of revitalising communal responsibility to address these challenges. Strengthening ubuntu and collective care can mitigate the socio-economic and psychological impacts of teenage pregnancy, support girls' education, and foster gender equity within communities.

This paper offers an analysis of informal digital peer support among LGBTQ+ young people in Australia, based on survey data from 660 young people (aged 16-25). Research on LGBTQ+ young people's mental health support commonly focuses on their professional support needs and connection to services, but there is also a need to understand informal peer support through everyday social media use. There are known benefits of having access to multiple forms of care and support, including the immediacy of friendship and peer-based support. This paper focuses on how LGBTQ+ young people participate in informal digital support practices for mental health and the values they attribute to this. This includes support that is not only sought and found but that which is offered and reciprocated through care networks. We highlight the need to consider where informal support comes from, who is involved, and what it offers to LGBTQ+ young people. Participants commonly experienced social media as environments that offered connection to supportive people, content, and spaces - providing mental health benefits. The community, connection, and solidarity of online platform spaces can benefit young people's mental health and wellbeing, thereby complementing formal healthcare programmes, policy and systems of care.

Social support from colleagues is important for workers' health and wellbeing and provides both instrumental support through material assistance, and expressive support through emotional validation. Numerous structural barriers to supportive work relationships exist, especially in service jobs located at the bottom half of today's 'care economy'. In this paper, we present descriptive findings from sex workers' evaluation of the quality of their co-worker relationships. In-person interviews were conducted in 2013 with sex workers (n = 218) from six municipalities in Canada, under Canada's (then) sex work legislation which criminalised most aspects of sex work. Although sex workers' collegial relationships were negatively impacted by economic competition, criminalisation, and stigmatisation, nevertheless, in certain contexts, supportive relationships with co-workers were found that help sex workers perform their work and provides emotional support. We identify social factors that help reduce peer conflict between sex workers and enhance peer support.

This article offers a critique of the dominant secular/sexual paradigm in the Netherlands by focusing on everyday experiences of sexuality among Turkish-Dutch women. A secular approach towards sexuality rests on the fictive duality of a sexually liberated, progressive majority Dutch and a conservative cultural 'Other'. This paper argues that despite scholarly work challenging the secular/framework within which minoritised women's sexuality is problematised, cultural stereotypes continue to persist in Dutch populist discourse and everyday life. Based on life story interviews conducted with eight women, it illustrates the specific ways in which normative expectations are imposed on minoritised women based on perceived religious or cultural differences. These expectations constitute a 'script' that is imbued with cultural stereotypes. Dissonant moments emerge when my interlocutors fail to conform to the 'script'. In contrast, when their choices validate these expectations, they are interpreted as a reflection of their 'cultural background' instead of being seen as instances of agentic behaviour. These processes further reify dichotomies in the form of sexually liberated and oppressed as the choices these women make are never seen as individual expressions of sexuality unless they openly contest these expectations.

The role played by activists' sexual orientation and gender identity in their involvement and commitment to LGBT movements is an understudied area in the Chinese context. Using identity and dramaturgical theory, this qualitative study explored how activists' work and commitment toward promoting LGBT rights and services is shaped and influenced by their identities. The study draws on data from life history interviews conducted with 20 long-time LGBT activists in Yunnan, China. The findings indicate that their sexual orientation and gender identities were, in the long run, seen as assets by the activists that shaped their work and commitment in the LGBT movement. Despite initial challenges in establishing identity-based connections with co-workers/clients, the emergence of sense of inclusiveness through recognition of activists' efforts, particularly when working with diverse gender and sexual minorities, stands out as a prominent theme in this context. This dynamic is important in bolstering the longevity of activists' commitment and building the continued momentum of LGBT movements in the region and internationally.

This paper uses Ambiguous Loss Theory to explore the anticipatory and ambiguous losses and stressors surrounding the decision to come out as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer. Purposive sampling was used to administer a survey to 429 individuals who identified as LGBTQ+ about their coming out decisions and experiences. Data were coded and three major themes were developed: (1) the need for psychosocial safety (fear of being disowned, shunned or abandoned); (2) experiences of anxiety, depression, emotional stress, and shame; and (3) the pursuit of authenticity, self-discovery and liberation. Findings from the study indicate that coming out for LGBTQ+ individuals in the twenty first century remains accompanied by challenges and fears, both before and after the process, which significantly affects individuals' health and safety. In the longer term, despite the challenges, stressors and losses identified by participants, most reported that disclosing their sexual orientation had greatly improved their health and mental well-being.

Many Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer Black, Indigenous, people of colour in Canada encounter racism when testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. Our objective in this study was to understand how racism shapes testing experiences for these communities in Ontario, Canada. Four peer researchers conducted recruitment and data collection in consultation with a community advisory board. Focus groups and interviews took place with 21 participants and their narrative accounts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants identified three interrelated issues when testing: (1) experiencing judgement and discomfort due to racism; (2) lack of community and cultural indicators in testing spaces; and (3) barriers to accessing testing centres and services. Systemic racism was linked to each of these barriers, including increased distance to testing centres due to racial segregation. Participant accounts signal the need for antiracist testing spaces and practices. Key implications include the need for antiracism training for health service providers and others working with Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and the organisations that serve them, in order to make testing spaces safer. Dismantling systemic racism is imperative to achieve health equity for members of these communities.

In Kenya, the prevalence of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is slowly decreasing. Simultaneously, the practice is increasingly being performed by healthcare providers rather than traditional circumcisers, which may pose the risk of legitimising the practice. To date, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using the 1998, 2008-09, and 2014 Kenyan Demographic Health Surveys, this study aims to enhance understanding by mapping both FGC prevalence and medicalisation rates across birth cohorts and ethnic groups. Additionally, the study delves into data from the Kisii community, where FGC medicalisation is particularly high, to examine the association between medicalisation and a mother's social position, as she is typically the primary decision-maker regarding the practice. Findings reveal that the coexisting trends of decreasing prevalence and increasing medicalisation exhibit significant ethnic variation. Among the Kisii, greater wealth is associated with higher odds of a medicalised cut compared to a traditional cut, while higher education and media use are linked to higher odds of not undergoing cutting at all compared to a medicalised cut. Our findings nuance the international community's premise that the medicalisation of FGC hinders the eradication of the practice.