A Culture of Contrasts: The Celebration and Stigmatization of (Safe) Sex A qualitative study on the sexual risk-taking of university students in the Netherlands

Abstract

“The body itself can be read as a text on which the most fundamental values of a society are inscribed” – Marica C. Inhorn (2006, p. 353)

With university students increasingly engaging in unprotected sex and being identified as a growing risk group for STIs, this study aims to understand how and why these higher educated youths partake in sexual risk behaviour. Besides interrogating personal incentives, this research aims to uncover the underlying socio-cultural patterns that facilitate this sexual risk-taking. Hence, this research touches upon significant theories from the field of Medical Anthropology, ranging from structural violence, to theories on women’s health, socio-cultural norms and values, and intersectionality in the context of health concerns. Together with a variety of cross-country literature on factors influencing the spread of STIs, this research intends to give meaning to a case study conducted on the sexual risk-taking of university students in the Netherlands. This case study consists of the personal accounts and experiences of eight students, brought to light through in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion, as well as the academic accounts of three experts in the field. The analysis of these accounts exposes a multiplicity of socio-cultural factors that affect students’ sexual behaviour and condom use. It reveals how university students in the Netherlands are faced with the consequences of a society perpetuating a performance-driven culture, gendered power relations and taboos around the body, to the extent that it influences their sexual behaviour. Students find themselves in a unique position where such socio-cultural patterns intersect with specific aspects of student life. This study hereby hopes to contribute to the understanding of sexual health concerns for university students, and argues that intervention programmes require adaptive strategies that cater specifically to needs of this unique population.