Risky business

More than 60 per cent of Jamaican men are having sexual intercourse with multiple partners, according to a study on males’ sexual practices which also suggests that droves of them are engaging in transactional sex.

The research, dubbed Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviours among Jamaican Males, is a cross-sectional study that mirrors a similar probe that recently highlighted concerns about the behaviours of some Jamaican females, notably under-age girls with up to three sexual partners.

Data for the assessment, carried out by local researcher Paul Bourne, were pulled from the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Reproductive Health Survey for 2021-2022. It features 1,784 respondents from 15 to 49 years old, and has a 95-per-cent confidence rate.

According to the probe, when asked the number of women they (men) had had sexual intercourse with within a three-month span, 176 (38%) of them said two partners; 56 (12%) said three; 22 (5%) of them reported having four sexual partners; 15 (3.2%) had five; seven had six partners; and 24 (5%) of the respondents said they had been involved with more than 20 partners over the three months.

Only 148 (32%) of the 1,784 respondents reported having sexual intercourse with one partner, while 19 men said they had no sexual intercourse over the period.

Meanwhile, 940 of the respondents said they had sex with more than 10 women in their lives, 45 of them said five, while 38 said that within their lifetime they had had sex with four women.

Transactional sex

Twenty-two of the respondents reported having sex with seven women, while only 27 of the respondents said they had sex with only one person over their lifetime.

“The findings revealed high levels of sexual risk behaviour, with the majority of respondents reporting multiple lifetime sexual partners and approximately one-third indicating concurrent sexual relationships within the past 12 months,” read the study, adding that some men were both paying for and were being paid for having sexual intercourse.

“Transactional sex was reported by one in eight men, and was significantly associated with age, educational attainment, union status, and sexual concurrency. Younger men were more likely to engage in multiple concurrent partnerships, while older men and those with lower educational attainment, exhibited higher involvement in transactional sex.

“Transactional sex was least prevalent among married men (1.5%), and most prevalent among those in visiting relationships (17.7%). Single men also exhibited relatively high engagement in transactional sex (12.1%), while those in common-law unions and girlfriend relationships reported lower prevalence.”

Nearly one-quarter (24.9%) of men engaged in concurrent partnerships reported transactional sex, compared with 8.9 per cent of those without concurrent partnerships. Men with multiple concurrent sexual relationships were approximately 2.8 times more likely to engage in transactional sex,” it read.

“The data is showing that, on average, Jamaican men age 15-49 on average has nine sexual partners. This means that policy-makers should be fully aware of the high promiscuity of men, and that policies must be in keeping with this reality,” said Bourne.

“As a country we have somewhat just accepted that Jamaican men are promiscuous; but do we really look at the broader implications ... sexually transmitted diseases, the fact that one man could be impregnating five women, who in turn are giving four ‘jackets’.

“The data is revealing that on average Jamaican men have at least nine sexual partners in their life time. This is irresponsible behaviour, and in a broader sense is putting the society under pressure,” Bourne continued, admitting, however, that the study did not assess the men’s condom usage.

Dr Orville Taylor, prominent sociologist, senior lecturer and head of the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at The University of the West Indies (UWI), accepted Bourne’s arguments, but said the concern about male promiscuity may be overblown, grounding it in the imprints of slavery, and the current sociocultural experience that facilitates practices such as transactional sexual intercourse.

“There is no disconnect between men being a ‘gyalis’ on one hand, and at the same time being victims of mistaken paternity. Having been denuded of everything else during slavery, men want to demonstrate that we are men. And how do we demonstrate that? By having a lot of women,” he said.

“There is also a premium on men who are deemed successful, a man who can afford a little more than the rest, and the women facilitate these men ... women facilitate this kind of behaviour.

“So, I don’t think male promiscuity, in and of itself, is the concern. There are far more important social issues to consider. Is it something that will lead to the disintegration of the society? I don’t see it. I think a bigger issue is the matter of mistaken paternity,” he said, outlining cases where both children and men form bonds that are then torn to pieces years later when it is revealed that they are not related biologically.

Taylor also sought to debunk arguments relating to ‘dead beat’ fathers.

“The worthless man in Jamaica, the man who is not caring about his children is the exception and not the rule. That is why you have so many jackets because we want to be there for the women and children. There is no social process that support a man being worthless,” he charged.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com