Gender and Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships in Zambia: Focus on Mobility

This three-page brief presents the findings of a mixed methods study conducted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Family Health International (FHI) in Zambia to explore the social, economic, and cultural factors related to engagement in multiple concurrent sexual partnerships (MCP). Additionally, the research sought to describe the level of mobility of the study populations and the relationship between mobility and sexual concurrency. The study found that overlapping concurrency was frequent among both men and women who identified themselves as being in stable relationships. Data also indicated that there is a high degree of mobility, with more than three-quarters of the entire sample indicating some degree of travel in their daily lives.

The research found that men who reported overlapping concurrency averaged 3 partners compared with women who had approximately 2 partners over the 12-month recall period. The study also found that of those participants engaging in MCP, over half of the men and over one-third of the women reported that their primary partner resides in a different location. Findings from in-depth interviews indicate that explanations of sexual concurrency included nuances related to the movement of individuals across Zambia. However, the study also revealed that there are a variety of factors that impact on the decision to engage in MCP such as absent partners who are away for work or taking another partner to help get over the fact that the husband or wife also has another partner.

The study includes three key recommendations. The first suggests that more research is needed to increase understanding of the role of mobility in HIV transmission. Secondly, additional surveillance data, both biological and behavioural, is needed on mobile and migrant populations in Zambia, as there is currently no systematic framework for collecting behavioural or biomedical data from migrant/ mobile populations. Finally, the study recommends that HIV prevention efforts reflect a better understanding of the social and cultural nuances of mobility and migration that affect decisions to engage in MCP. Normative explanations of concurrency indicate that social and cultural factors, such as mobility, are highly nuanced. Mobile populations are not homogenous, and fine distinction regarding the factors which contribute to sexual concurrency of different populations must be addressed when developing HIV prevention programming and messaging.