ESTUDIOS DEMOGRAFICOS Y URBANOS

Mexico (Mexico City) 24

JANUARY-AUGUST 1997 - VOLUME 12, NUMBER 1-2 (34-35)

98.24.10 - Spanish - Vania SALLES and Rodolfo TUIRÁN, El Colegio de México, Mexico City (Mexico)

Into the labyrinth: Reproductive health and society (Dentro del laberinto: salud reproductiva y sociedad) (p. 11-68)

The purpose of this article is to outline a series of analytical frameworks defined by relevant social structures and processes, in order to explore how some social contexts influence sexual and reproductive behaviors, as well as institutional actions and individual or group practices. The article is intended to shape a theoretical and analytical proposition which may be useful for current research programs on reproductive health, emphasizing how indispensable the social science approach is. We believe that this approach may make significant contributions to the newly-emerging field of reproductive health, such as gaining a more integral and fuller understanding of health/sickness processes, and their determinants and consequences; organizing and situating in a broader context the findings of social, biomedical, and public health research; helping to establish priorities for public policies; and orienting the future agenda of research related to this topic. (MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH, RESEARCH METHODS)

98.24.11 - Spanish - Alejandro AGUIRRE

Maternal mortality in Mexico: Measurement based on vital statistics (Mortalidad materna en México: medición a partir de estadísticas vitales) (p. 69-99)

Vital statistics are the most comprehensive source of information on maternal mortality in Mexico. Despite the limitations these statistics might present, it is possible to visualize the phenomenon in which it is clear that maternal mortality has decreased throughout the 20th century and will continue to do so. There are signs of a higher underestimation of mortality by abortion. And there are regional differentials of maternal mortality. The most vulnerable region is the South Pacific, while the Northeast is the most favoured. Professional and/or institutional attention during childbirth has a great impact on maternal mortality decline. There are also socio-economic differentials by marital status, milieu, and schooling according to the expectations. The average age at maternal death is 30 years. Since female life expectancy is 70 years, death implies 40 years of potential life lost. (MEXICO, MATERNAL MORTALITY, MORTALITY DECLINE, MORTALITY DETERMINANTS, DIFFERENTIAL MORTALITY)

98.24.12 - Spanish - Carole S. VANCE, Division of Sociomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, Columbia University (U.S.A.)

Anthropology rediscovers sexuality: A theoretical comment (La antropología redescubre la sexualidad: un comentario teórico) (p. 101-128)

Despite its reputation for openness to research on sexuality, anthropology as a discipline has only reluctantly supported such work. Anthropological research and theory developed slowly, sharing a stable theoretical paradigm (the cultural influence model) from the 1920's to the 1990's. Moving beyond determinist and essentialist frameworks still common in biomedicine, anthropological work nevertheless viewed important aspects of sexuality as universal and transcultural. Social construction theory has offered a challenge to traditional anthropological models and has been responsible for a recent burst of innovative work in sexuality, both in anthropology and in other disciplines, since 1975. The theoretical roots and implications of constructionist theory are explored. The intensifying competition between cultural influence and constructionist paradigms has been altered by the appearance of AIDS and the subsequent increased support for research on sexuality. On the one hand, the expansion in funding threatens to strenghten essentialist models in biomedical contexts and cultural influence models in anthropology. On the other hand, the complexities and ambiguities inherent in the sexuality under study may both reveal the strengths of constructionist approaches and spur the development of research and theory in anthropology. (ANTHROPOLOGY, SEXUALITY, THEORY, RESEARCH)

98.24.13 - Spanish - Marta G. RIVAS ZIVY, Departamento de Educación y Comunicación, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco (Mexico)

Norm diversity: Some differences in signification of female sexuality (La diversidad en la norma: algunas diferencias en las significaciones de la sexualidad femenina) (p. 129-153)

The purpose of this paper is to underline the relationship among certain normative discourses concerning sexuality and gender, and the impact these have on the establishment of subjects of sexuality, specifically some Mexican women from three different cities in Mexico (Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende, and the Federal District), who belong to different generations (grandmother, mother and daughter). At present, sexuality is no longer seen, understood and practiced as a universal and a historical series of responses. Multiple and diverse forms that deny traditional codifications and norms regarding reproductive heterosexuality have evolved and been acknowledged. However, such condition is still controlling the sex lives of many women; thus, the demands and desires that some women have already identified are still unknown. Bearing in mind these notions, this paper intends to show the differences within the same set of sexual norms and to identify some social aspects that may serve as catalyst transformation processes.

The article includes some of the accounts made by these women belonging to three generations, and the different social discourses underlying these accounts of reproductive sexuality, as well as the changes and continuity mentioned by these women and the conditions in terms of which they define their position vis-a-vis the different social spaces and their partner. (MEXICO, SEXUALITY, SOCIAL NORMS, TRADITION, CULTURAL CHANGE)

98.24.14 - Spanish - Ivonne SZASZ

Gender and sexual values. A case study among a group of Mexican women (Género y valores sexuales. Un estudio de caso entre un grupo de mujeres mexicanas) (p. 155-176)

Statements of a small group of women who live in rural areas in central Mexico are analyzed in this paper. The testimonies of these women reveal some aspects of their sex life and also the beginning of childbearing. The purpose of this analysis is to propose certain reflections and questions about the possible relationships between gender, sexual behavior, contraception, and the early childbearing. The analysis is related to the significance for women of the first intercourse the possibility of having non-reproductive sexual relationships, autonomy to make decisions about contraception, the possibility of experiencing sexual desire and pleasure, and the possibility of avoiding unwanted sex. Some considerations are suggested about possible associations between cultural norms that determine gender construction and the values regarding sexuality that may affect the sexual and contraceptive behavior of some Mexican women. The opportunity to systematically explore these relationships in specialized research might help enhance knowledge about the socio-cultural factors conditioning contraception and early fertility in Mexico. (MEXICO, WOMEN'S STATUS, SEXUALITY, SOCIAL NORMS, VALUE SYSTEMS, CONTRACEPTION, FERTILITY)

98.24.15 - Spanish - Jennifer S. HIRSCH and Constance A. NATHANSON, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (U.S.A.)

Representativity and representation in sexuality research: Systematic ethnographic sampling in a study with Mexican women on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico frontier (Demografía informal: cómo utilizar las redes sociales para construir una muestra etnográfica sistemática de mujeres mexicanas en ambos lados de la frontera) (p. 177-199)

This paper discusses how systematic ethnographic sampling can strengthen ethnographic generalizability and promote interdisciplinary communication by clarifyng differences between ethnographic and survey research. The study to which this paper refers examines differences in sexual and reproductive health practices and ideas among two groups of women from the same area in Mexico: first-generation immigrants in Atlanta, and their sisters and friends still in the sending community in western Mexico. The paper begins with an overview of the study's methods and theoretical background, and continues with a discussion of why sampling was particularly important in this specific research context. The paper then outlines some of the theoretical (and underlying epistemological) differences between how demographers and anthropologists choose interview subjetcs; it discusses not only differences in sampling methods but in the underlying ideas about what sampling is intended to achieve. The final section of the paper covers the actual process of constructing a systematic ethnographic sample, including a description of some of the difficulties encountered throughout the process. (MEXICO, METHODOLOGY, ETHNOGRAPHY, SAMPLES, SEXUALITY, HEALTH)

98.24.16 - Spanish - Juan Guillermo FIGUEROA PEREA, Centro de Estudios Demográficos y de Desarrollo Urbano, El Colegio de México, Mexico City (Mexico)

Some reflections on the gender approach and the social representation of sexuality (Algunas reflexiones sobre el enfoque de género y la representación de la sexualidad) (p. 201-244)

In this paper, the author presents some empirical references concerning the ways individuals experience sexuality and reproduction, specifically the interpretations of men and women interviewed in different demographic surveys. Based on this, some insights into the meaning of the differences showed by the surveys are suggested. The question to be discussed is whether those differences are natural or a result of social constructions about the meaning of being a man and being a woman within the context of sexuality and reproduction. The gender perspective is used in order to structure an alternative interpretation of how demography has viewed reproduction, contraception and sexual practices. The article conclude with a certain aspects of reflection on women's autonomy as one possibility of rethinking the meaning of being a man or being a woman, as well as the relationships between both, by applying a gender perspective. (SEX DIFFERENTIALS, SEXUALITY, REPRODUCTION, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, METHODOLOGY)

98.24.17 - Spanish - Michel GIRAUD, Centro de Investigaciones sobre las Autoridades Locales en el Caribe, Universidad de las Antillas y de la Guayana, Centro National de la Investigación Científica

The survey "analysis of sexual behavior in the West Indies and Guiana", and AIDS prevention in the French Departments of America (La investigación Análisis de los Comportamientos Sexuales en las Antillas y en la Guayana y la prevención del sida en los departamentos franceses de América) (p. 245-260)

The main findings of the survey on sexual behavior and AIDS prevention in the West Indies and Guiana are presented briefly in this paper and are compared with findings from a similar survey conducted in France. The description of the major findings of this survey is of great importance given the current magnitude of the AIDS epidemic in the French Departments of America. In order to prevent its spread, it is of utmost importance to identify behaviors that may place individuals at risk of infection. Similarly, it is essential to understand the deep motivations of such behaviors as well as the level of knowledge about prevention methods and frequency of their usage. This paper emphasizes the degree of awareness among individuals regarding risk of infections, changes in behavior, and success made in attaining prevention goals. Lastly, the paper suggests that in order to strengthen the effects of this survey it would be advisable to make clear, as soon as possible, the marked differences between these countries, especially regarding multiple partners among heterosexuals. These differences are based on cultural specificities that were beyond the scope of these surveys and that would require studies of a different nature, such as historical comparisons. (CARIBBEAN, FRENCH GUIANA, FRANCE, SURVEYS, AIDS, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR)

98.24.18 - Spanish - Elías SEVILLA CASAS, Departamento de Ciencias Sociales, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Económicas, Universidad del Valle, Cali (Colombia)

Sexuality profiles based on differences between men and women in Colombia (Perfiles de la sexualidad: a propósito de las diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en Colombia) (p. 261-306)

This article is a descriptive exercise as well as a substantive and methodological critique of the sexual behavior profile of Colombians in general as it is represented by two survey variables considered by specialists to be of great importance: age at first intercourse (adulthood), and number of sexual partners during the year prior to the survey. A systematic comparison between Colombian behavior and behaviors in two contemporary surveys conducted in France and the United States reveals for the Colombian case a strong contrast between men and women (dimorphism) where men are more precocious and prefer multiple sexual partners, and women are less. This finding is used as an excuse to put forward a series of considerations about the past reticence, and the current interest of sociology in the topics of sexuality, eroticism and love; the methodological difficulties of survey-based studies, and possible alternatives for clarifying questions posed by such dimorphism in Colombia. It is concluded that the survey-based studies need to be enriched with other ethnographic strategies (some of them indirect), in order to refine common hypothesis such as patriarchal domination. Mention is made of the necessary complicity by women for male domination to exist; the potential of subcultural and subregional studies within the historical structure of socio-racial inequality is reviewed, and the apparently close relation between sexuality and violence is discussed.

In the last part of the article, it is suggested that in the case of Colombia, known throughout the world as a violent country, we could resort to the alternative of delving more deeply into "how men and women love one another", along the lines of the saying "tell me how you love and I'll tell you who you are", for the purpose of taking a rest from the scores of articles that ask "how do they kill one another?". (COLOMBIA, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, METHODOLOGY, SURVEYS)

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