Jean-Robert Rwenge Mburano
Enseignant et Chercheur, IFORD, Université de Yaoundé II, Cameroun.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2004 Aug;8(2):145-63.
Gender and sexuality of youths in Bafoussam and Mbalmayo, Cameroon. This paper outlines, while resorting to the gender perspective, the social factors that predispose youths to risky sexual practices using data from a survey of culture, gender, sexual behaviour and STD/AIDS carried out in Cameroon, at Bafoussam (Bamileke area) and Mbalamayo (Bëti area). Analysis revealed that the ideology of masculinity and feminity prevail in the populations studied, but in the Bamileke group, where gender system is unfavourable to women, young people adhere less to these ideologies than their parents. Our data also revealed that the level of the knowledge of the modes of transmission of STD/AIDS and the degree of acceptability of condoms in this group are higher among boys than girls. The young Bëti were more inclined to take risks in sexual activities than the Bamileke. It was equally found that boys were more inclined than girls to be unfaithful to their regular partners, while the boys were more inclined to use condoms than girls. Finally, our data revealed that age and other characteristics of the regular sexual partners of young people influence, among others, the probability of being engaged in risky sex especially among girls. Health education and information programmes can be improved amongst these youth populations by taking into account the totality of these elements.
喀麦隆巴富萨姆和姆巴拉马约青少年的性别与性取向。本文借助性别视角，利用在喀麦隆巴富萨姆（巴米累克地区）和姆巴拉马约（贝蒂地区）开展的一项关于文化、性别、性行为及性传播疾病/艾滋病的调查数据，概述了致使青少年易发生危险性行为的社会因素。分析表明，在所研究的人群中，男性气质和女性气质的观念盛行，但在性别制度对女性不利的巴米累克群体中，年轻人比他们的父母更少遵循这些观念。我们的数据还显示，该群体中男孩对性传播疾病/艾滋病传播方式的了解程度以及对避孕套的接受程度高于女孩。贝蒂族年轻人比巴米累克族更倾向于在性活动中冒险。同样发现，男孩比女孩更倾向于对固定伴侣不忠，而男孩比女孩更倾向于使用避孕套。最后，我们的数据表明，年轻人固定性伴侣的年龄及其他特征尤其在女孩中影响其从事危险性行为的可能性。通过考虑所有这些因素，可改善这些青少年群体中的健康教育和信息项目。
