Qualitative findings highlight power and social significance of condomless sex in young adults' relationships, indicating complex HIV risks.
Condoms prevent unwanted pregnancy and reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections like HIV, but for young adults navigating social and age-disparate sexual networks in rural South Africa, condoms also have social significance. Participants in a recent HSRC study in KwaZulu-Natal reported that condomless sex cemented primary relationships, indicated fidelity, or conferred power or prestige. These considerations, twinned with the worrying practice of 'sero-guessing' (assuming a person's HIV status by their appearance), may override the inclination to have safe sex.
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Human Sciences Research Council (2025) studied this question.
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