Sexual health is an important part of human development and human life. Good sexual health does not only mean the absence of sexually-associated illnesses, but also the capacity to understand and consider the responsibilities, risks, impacts of sexual activities, and outcomes. It entails being comfortable with and being knowledgeable of one’s body, as well as being in a position to make sexual choices which are free from coercion and exploitation. Gender and sexual orientation are social constructs which can influence one’s sexual decision-making process, and consequently; adversely impact their sexual health.
While sex and gender are frequently used interchangeably, the Committee …show more content…
Gendered beliefs and attitudes like “more sex define a real man”, “women have to do what their boyfriends want to preserve their relationships”, and “women need men to be happy” among other cultural beliefs have pressured many men and women into making sexual decisions including engaging in risky sexual behaviours. Gender roles have seen the evolvement of gender inequality in various disciplines of life including during sexual decision-making. More often, women lack the chance of having control over their sexual lives and choices. According to Letamo (2011), culturally-based beliefs regarding gender roles shape women’s sexual conduct and their capacity to safeguard themselves from unwanted sexual experiences. Many of the sexual activities frequently occur as per the man’s dictation, with disregards of the woman’s desires since in most communities women are to be seen and not to be heard. Such gender-founded power inequities are attributable to poor sexual health effects by blocking communication between the sexual partners, hindering women from negotiating for safer sexual practices, and constraining women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services (Letamo, …show more content…
In some countries in Africa, for instance, in February 2013, Ugandan president outlawed any homosexual activities in the country and obligated Ugandans to report alleged homosexuals to the police (Jjuuko, 2013). Although the law was later annulled, it triggered escalated levels of violence, stigmatisation, and prejudice against the gay/lesbian community. Possible criminalization, violence, and stigma faced by people with divergent social orientation, has seen homosexuals and bisexuals choose to practice sexual activities in secret. Fear of stigmatisation and violence has caused many of them to make hasty and poor sexual decisions, like failure to use protection and having sexual activities with opposite sex partners to avoid