Based on nationally representative samples from 13
Sub-Saharan African countries, this paper reinforces and
expands previous findings that condom use in general
is low in this region, men report using condoms more
frequently than women, and unmarried individuals
report they use condoms more frequently than married
individuals with their spouse. Based on descriptive,
bivariate, and multivariate analyses, the authors also
demonstrate to a degree not previously shown in the
current literature that married men from most countries
This paper—a product of the Human Development and Public Services Team, Development Research Group—is part of a
larger effort in the department to understand the determinants of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Policy Research Working Papers
are also posted on the Web at http://econ.worldbank.org. The author may be contacted at ddewalque@worldbank.org.
report using condoms with extramarital partners about
as frequently as unmarried men. However, married
women from most countries included use condoms with
extramarital partners less frequently than unmarried
women. This result is especially troubling because
marriage usually ensures regular sexual intercourse,
providing more opportunities to pass HIV from
extramarital partner to spouse than an unmarried person
who may also have multiple partners but not as regular
sexual intercourse.