WORKING WOMENS SEXUAL RISK-TAKING IN JAMAICA

Although the rates of HIV are increasing among female populations in d eveloping countries, there is little information available about facto rs influencing sexual risk taking among working class women. This pape r describes some of the issues discussed by two groups of 58 women wor king in Jamaica: Informal Commercial Importers and women working in th e Freezone. These women discuss their economic vulnerability, expectat ions about the role of men as providers, multiple partners, perception s of children as resources and concern about physical abuse as factors that could influence decisions about condom use. The implications of these findings are discussed for their impact on intervention programs targeting working class women in Jamaica. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd