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    Cultural Norms and Sexual Reproductive Health

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    Niamh de Barra
    This is one module in a collection of modules that sought to promote knowledge sharing and potential intervention design among stakeholders in Zambia. This is a useful presentation when attempting to engage stakeholders in more culturally/religiously conservative on such controversial topic areas in conservative countries. This module provides brief overview of cultural norms and the potential impact on sexual and reproductive health. and ends with considerations when designing a public health intervention on harmful cultural norms..

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    Cultural Norms and Sexual Reproductive Health

    Uploaded by

    Niamh de Barra
    619 views9 pages
    This is one module in a collection of modules that sought to promote knowledge sharing and potential intervention design among stakeholders in Zambia. This is a useful presentation when attempting to engage stakeholders in more culturally/religiously conservative on such controversial topic areas in conservative countries. This module provides brief overview of cultural norms and the potential impact on sexual and reproductive health. and ends with considerations when designing a public health intervention on harmful cultural norms..

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    This is one module in a collection of modules that sought to promote knowledge sharing and potential intervention design among stakeholders in Zambia. This is a useful presentation when attempting to engage stakeholders in more culturally/religiously conservative on such controversial topic areas in conservative countries. This module provides brief overview of cultural norms and the potential impact on sexual and reproductive health. and ends with considerations when designing a public health intervention on harmful cultural norms..

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    619 views9 pages

    Cultural Norms and Sexual Reproductive Health

    Uploaded by

    Niamh de Barra
    This is one module in a collection of modules that sought to promote knowledge sharing and potential intervention design among stakeholders in Zambia. This is a useful presentation when attempting to engage stakeholders in more culturally/religiously conservative on such controversial topic areas in conservative countries. This module provides brief overview of cultural norms and the potential impact on sexual and reproductive health. and ends with considerations when designing a public health intervention on harmful cultural norms..

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 9

    Cultural Norms and Sexual and

    Reproductive Health

    NIAMH BARRY
    [email protected]
    MAY 2008
    What are Cultural Norms

    Individual to each country, society and community


    Rooted in history, politics, religion, music,
    language and geography of a group BUT are still
    dynamic
    A set of established rules evolved over time that
    govern the moral conduct, education and defining
    attitudes of a group of people.
    They govern actions and behaviours from
    childhood to old age
    Examples of Cultural Norms

     Monogamy/Polygamy
     Male and Female circumcision
     Characteristics of masculinity and femininity
     Bride price
     Early marriages
     Varying marriage ceremonies
     Emphasis on virginity
     Rituals of celebration
     Taboos on open discussions of certain topics
     Can be both harmless and harmful depending on the
    ‘outsider view’
    When Cultural Norms Impact SRH

    Many cultural norms governing sexual and moral


    conduct can affect peoples SRH especially in the
    era of HIV
    When Cultural Norms Impact SRH

    Question to the group:


    How have the following affected peoples SRH in the
    Zambian context or elsewhere?

    Early marriages
    Discourses of masculinity and femininity
    Bride price
    Male and female circumcision
    Rules surrounding the discussion of SRH
    Attitudes to method of contraceptive use
    Traditional medicine
    Dry sex
    Negative Impact of Cultural Norms on SRH
    ‘How do you abstain from what is part of you?...we can’t
    stop having children. With or without AIDS the pressure
    from husband and extended families is beyond the
    women’s control in this culture’, (Ntseane and Preece,
    2005:9).

    ‘Just look at the colour of the condom, it shows it is from the


    west: it is another tactic of wiping Africans from the face
    of the earth. Unless you show me a factory of condoms in
    Botswana I can’t believe it does not have AIDS’ (Ntseane
    and Preece, 2005:10).
    Strategies when Dealing with Cultural Norms & SRH
     Work with or work against cultural norms – What is feasible?
     Working with: Polygamy can either be a hidden or acceptable
    cultural norm. Polygamy can increase all partners risk to HIV
    and STDs without condom use. A strategy that works within
    this norm would be to promote condom use but also to limit
    the number of partners and encourage each person to stay
    within the same multiple relationship rather than having
    different partners every week.
     Working against: Dry sex has no social benefits for those
    involved but is simply a male preference yet it increases
    women's and men's vulnerability to HIV & STDs. Education
    on the negative impact of dry sex within the male and female
    community, in combination with advocacy and strong political
    will could work against this practice.

    Continued….
    The ‘life-cycle’ approach when dealing with
    cultural norms and practices
    This means educating all age ranges from youths to
    elderly, E.g. sensitisation on violence against
    women, must be conducted on all age ranges. If
    you only educate a child from 10-16 on GBV and
    they see the older men in the community practicing
    GBV they will be less likely to heed the education.
    Need consensus of leaders/respected people in a
    community on objectives of program-issue of been
    viewed as an outsider enforcing foreign ideas

    Continued….
    Harmful cultural norms will not change
    immediately. Problems arise when project views as
    a success then months later the practice remerges-
    M&E vital
    Cultural sensitivity is vital in any program dealing
    with SRH

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