Choosing Unsafe Sex: AIDS-Risk Denial Among Disadvantaged Women

Appendix B: Further Quantitative Findings

Appendix B: Further Quantitative Findings This appendix contains detailed quantitative data that complement findings already presented. The data, which are organized by subject matter, are not intended to stand on their own: the chapter of reference is noted after each subject heading. 1. Condom Useand ConjugalStatus (Chapter 6) Table Bl showscondom use (or non-use) at last sexual encounter byconjugal status for pilot questionnaire respondents. Interestingly, involved non-users had been involved with their partners for much longer than involved users had. Sixof the twelveuserswere not involvedat all. Four of the six involved users had been in their relationships for less than five years; two had been involved for five to nine years; none had been involved for over ten years. In contrast, seven of the fifteen involved nonusers had been involved for more than five years; five of these seven — one-third of all fifteen —had been involvedfor over ten years. 2. Women's Income (Chapter 6) Forty-four women provided explicit income information on the final questionnaire. The average total monthly income of condom users and non-users was essentially identical ($598.89 vs. $598.79). Nonetheless, when the averages from differing income sources are viewed in isolation, distinctions between the groups can be seen (see Table B2). (No significant differences in age, education, or number of children existed between the groups. Because of this, and because of the small sample size, such variables were not controlled for in statisticalcalculations. The figures given are merelydescriptive.) Users brought in smaller monthly paychecks than non-users. The average user's monthly pay was$147.80; the average non-user's was $252.93. Further Quantitative Findings 205 TABLE Bi. Conjugal Status and Condom Use Among Pilot Questionnaire Respondents TABLE Ba. Women's Income Averages and Condom Use Patterns Further, non-users generated additional income through entrepreneurial action while users did not. The average amount brought in through such efforts by non-users was $16.18; the average amount for users was nil. Assistancechecks, however,were about the same size for members of either group: users received an average of $142.20;non-users $145.65. After quantifying their incomes, respondents were asked if they relied on anyone at all to give them money regularly. Nine of the ten users and all thirty-four non-users provided at least one name. Thirty-two of the thirty-four non-users provided a second name as well. Although three spaces were provided, nobody named a third individual.Whileusers generally relied on one person and non-users generally relied on two, the average amount the named individualscontributed wassimilar: usersreceived an average of $55.56, and non-usersreceived an average of $56.06. The purposefully open-ended nature of this question meant that women may have forgotten to list significant contributors. Myparticular interest wasin how manywomen would mention men when asked indirectly as opposed to how many would mention them if asked directly.In the open-ended format, ten of the forty-four women listed partners as income sources. When asked directly, the number of women reporting income from men tripled. The income noted in response to the direct question wasthe figure used in the average monthlyincome calculations being described. Here, I should note that when all questionnaire respondents are considered (rather than just those for whom specific numerical financial data are available), a strikingly similar pattern is seen. Only eighteen (20%, N = 90) women named a partner as a source of aid in response to the open-ended question about support. But in response to the direct inquiry,fifty-five(61.1%) women affirmed that their partners sometimes Partnered Single Users (N=12) 6 6 Non-users (W= 17) 15 2 Income source Paid labor Entrepreneurial schemes Assistance checks Male partners Total Users (N=10) $147.80 0 $142.20 $308.89 $598.89 Non-users (N=34) $252.93 $16.18 $145.65 $184.03 $598.79 206 AppendixB gave them money; that is, thirty-seven more women (41.1%) remembered ever receiving cash from a partner. It is important to note that the group of thirty-seven additional women includes those who got only sporadic help. Moreover, thirty-five (38.9%) of the ninety women remained without men's monetary aid completely. Of the forty-four sexuallyactive women for whom I have specific financial data, thirty-two (72.7%) received some financial help from men. Twelve (27.3%) didnot. The...