Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005 ... - Measure DHS

5.4 ATTITUDES TOWARDS NEGOTIATING SAFER SEX
The ability to safeguard oneself against HIV transmission can be hampered if one feels powerless
to negotiate safer sex with one’s sexual partner. The ability to negotiate for self-protection against HIV is
likely to be more of a problem for women than for men. To assess women’s ability to negotiate for safer
sex in circumstances in which she suspects her husband may have a sexually transmitted infection,
respondents in the VPAIS were asked two questions. Respondents were asked whether they think a wife
is justified in refusing to have sex with her husband if she knows he has an infection that can be
transmitted through sexual contact. Respondents were also asked if they think that a woman who knows
her husband has an infection that can be transmitted through sexual contact is justified in asking him to
use a condom.
As shown in Table 5.2, 72 percent of women and 75 percent of men feel that a wife is justified in
refusing to have sex with her husband if she knows he has a sexually-transmitted infection, while 83
percent of women and 87 percent of men believe that a wife is justified in asking that they use a condom
if she knows that her husband has a sexually-transmitted infection. Nearly nine in ten women and men
agree with at least one statement, indicating widespread acceptance of the ability of women to negotiate
safer sex with their husbands. Acceptance increases with increasing education. A smaller proportion of
young people and those who have never been married report that the woman is justified to negotiate for
safer sex in these circumstances.
46 | Attitudes Relating to HIV-AIDS