This thesis describes the prevalence, determinants and dynamics of intergenerational
sexual relationships in urban Botswana. The study was conducted in three stages, the
survey, in-depth interviews and radio talk-back. The survey was conducted with
schoolgirls in all four public senior secondary schools in Gaborone, Botswana. The
survey was completed first before proceeding to the other two stages. However, the last
two stages were done concurrently.
A quantitative survey was conducted with 600 schoolgirls (18-22-year-olds) in order to
establish their sexual practices, find out the prevalence of intergenerational sexual
relationships among them and find out their perceptions regarding intergenerational
sexual relationships. More than three-quarters of the participants had boyfriends in their
age group and about one-quarter of those who were approached by older men had older
boyfriends. The results revealed the practice of multiple sexual partners both in intragenerational
and intergenerational sexual relationships. The issue of multiple sexual
partners has been identified to be one of the factors that fuel STI/HIV infections. Girls
who were in intergenerational sexual relationships have positive perceptions and attitudes
towards them. However, the majority of the girls did not perceive such relationships as
good. They associated them with the danger of engaging in unprotected sex and thus a
greater risk of contracting STI/HIV.