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Social Correlates of Unsafe Sexual Intercourse

Department of Anthropology The University of Western Australia

Building upon the work of Connell and colleagues, this paper examines four social correlates of unsafe sexual intercourse for gay, bisexual and heterosexual people. These are: (1) alcohol consumption; (2) uncertainty about one's HIV-infection status; (3) learned and shared logic about condoms; and (4) logic about the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic. The data come from two samples of sexually active people in Perth: (1) the gay community and (2) clients at an STD clinic. Data collection consisted of self- administered questionnaires (N=906), follow-up interviews (N=361) and ethnographic field work at heterosexual and gay venues. The conclusion reached is that unsafe sexual intercourse may be considered to be a collective, cultural institution and not merely due to individual ignorance, weakness or foolishness. HIV education and prevention programs need to focus more on collective action to achieve safer sex practices and on grassroot social processes that will sustain changes toward safer sex.

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Journal of Sociology, Vol. 28, No. 2, 192-207 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/144078339202800203


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This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Waddell, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?