Media, nationalism, and the body: Exploring masculinities, male partner violence, and HIV vulnerability among female sex workers in northern Karnataka, India.
Public health and media discourses on men and HIV prevention in India have largely focused on changing knowledge, attitudes and risk behaviour pertaining to condom use and safe sex. Little attempt has been made towards intervening in areas such as masculinity, dominant gender norms and intimate partner violence (IPV) that have been shown to have a direct link to HIV prevalence. In this paper, drawing on findings from an ethnographic study in northern Karnataka (India), we show how socio-political and communicative contexts influence and perpetuate violent behaviours by men in intimate relationships with female sex workers (FSW). We argue that constructions of masculinity, the stereotypes of which are reinforced through contemporary media, and movies, are intricately linked with processes of nationalism and play out in forms of chauvinism among working-class men. Violence, celebrated through various patriarchal discourses, legitimises and reinforces gender ideals that govern the private lives of men and their female intimate partners. This study provides a complex and nuanced understanding of structural factors that lead to IPV against FSWs and offers implications for HIV intervention planning in the region and beyond.
['Khan|Shamshad|S|', 'Nair|Sapna|S|', 'Huynh|Anthony|A|', 'Chevrier|Claudyne|C|', 'Thalinja|Raghavendra|R|', 'Prakash|Ravi|R|', 'Javalkar|Prakash|P|', 'Ramanaik|Satyanarayana|S|', 'Isac|Shajy|S|', 'Bhattacharjee|Parinita|P|', 'Lorway|Robert|R|']
D000328:Adult D001828:Body Image D003146:Communications Media D005260:Female D015658:HIV Infections D058015:Health Communication D006801:Humans D007194:India D007398:Interpersonal Relations D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence D008297:Male D057228:Masculinity D008875:Middle Aged D012309:Risk-Taking D060386:Sex Workers D012725:Sexual Behavior D012747:Sexual Partners D014754:Violence D055815:Young Adult
Masculinity female sex workers intimate partner violence HIV/AIDS health communication