Abstract: Previous studies have posed seemingly contradictory arguments that either traditional attitudes or egalitarian attitudes are associated with riskier behaviour. Little research has been conducted to document how gender role attitudes influence sexual behaviour in Botswana. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between gender role attitudes and risky sexual behaviour. Data used in this study are from the 2008 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey which was a nationally representative, population-based survey. Cross-tabulations and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the influence of gender role attitudes on risky sexual behaviour such non-use of condom and multiple sexual partners. The cross-tabulated results of the study showed that generally women had egalitarian gender role attitudes towards sexual behaviours compared to the men. Bivariate analysis showed that about 47% of the respondents believed men can have more than one sexual partner at a time while 42% indicated that women can have more than one sexual partner at a time. Over one in ten reported that it is a wife’s duty to have sex with her husband even if she does not want to and about 24% of the respondents reported that it is not a woman’s right to decide if she will have safe sex. The logistic regression results showed that the selected gender role attitude variables were not significantly associated with risky sexual behaviour except the belief that it is acceptable for a partner to be in possession of a female condom. In short, after controlling for important socio-demographic variables, the analysis showed that traditional gender role attitudes were not significantly associated with risky sexual behaviour of non-use of condoms and engagement in multiple sexual relationships. The relationship between gender role attitudes and sexual behaviour is very complex and detailed qualitative research may provide more answers to the research questions than a cross-sectional study design. Additional research is required to understand this complex relationship.
Keywords: Gender role attitudes; risky sexual behaviour; Botswana