Don’t You Think It Is Violence Forcing Me to Have Sex While Not Happy?” Women’s Conceptualization of Enjoyable Sex and Sexual Intimate Partner Violence in Mwanza, Tanzania

Bibliographic Data

ID15499713
AuthorsZaina Mchome (0000-0002-4016-3571, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Gerry Mshana (0000-0001-8753-7561, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Diana Aloyce (0000-0002-0648-3184, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Esther Peters (0000-0001-6434-8952, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Donati Malibwa (0000-0003-4586-1472, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Annapoorna Dwarumpudi (0000-0003-0713-2762, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Saidi Kapiga (0000-0003-1753-4060, University of London), Heidi Stöckl (0000-0002-0907-8483, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume17
Issue21
Pages7937-7937
Publication date2020-10-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph17217937
PMID33138073
OpenAlexW3094691318
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited29

Intimate partner violence is a recognized public health and development issue that is consistently and comparatively measured through women's experience of physical and/or sexual acts by their partner. While physical intimate partner violence is covered by a wide range of behaviors, sexual intimate partner violence (SIPV) is often only measured through attempted or completed forced sex, ignoring less obvious forms of sexual intimate partner violence. We explored women's conceptualizations of SIPV by conducting in-depth interviews with 18 Tanzanian women. Using a thematic approach, we identified key features of women's sexual intimate relationships and their perceptions of them. The women clearly defined acts of positive sexual relationships that occurred with mutual consent and seduction and SIPV that included acts of forced sex and sex under the threat of violence. They also identified several acts that were crossing the line, whereby a discrepancy of views existed whether they constituted SIPV, such as having sex when out of the mood, sex being the duty of the wife, sex during the menses, requests for anal sex, having sex to not lose the husband, husband refusing sex and husband having other partners. Women in this study felt violated by a far wider range of sexual acts in their relationships. Future studies need to improve the measurement of sexual intimate partner violence to allow the collection of encompassing, yet comparable, data on this harmful phenomenon

Criminology · Developmental psychology · Domestic violence · Medical emergency · Poison control · Qualitative research · Sexual violence · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Thematic analysis · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social Psychology