‘It is not expected for married couples’: a qualitative study on challenges to safer sex communication among polygamous and monogamous partners in southeastern Tanzania

Figures & data

Fig. 1 The WHO-Comission on the Social Determinants of Health (WHO-CSDH) framework (2010).

Fig. 2 Modified WHO-SDH framework used to learn about the challenges to safer sex dialogue between married spouses.

From WHO (26).

Table 1 Summary of the IDIs participants in Ifakara town (N=24)

Participant's characteristics	Total number of participants
Sex
Males	11
Females	13
Age
24–30	08
31–36	05
37–42	08
43–48	01
49–54	00
55–60	01
61–67	00
68–74	01
Education
Never gone to school	01
Primary education	19
Secondary education	02
Higher level	01
Occupation
Farmers	13
Farmers/business	02
Petty traders	04
Business	04
Teacher	01
Marital type
Monogamous	15
Polygamous	09
Marital duration
1–5	09
6–11	06
12–17	05
18–22	03
30	01
Number of children
0	01
1–3	13
4–6	07
7–9	02
20	01
Religion
Muslims	07
Christians	17

Table 2 Summary of the FGD participants in Ifakara town (n=38)

Participants’ characteristics	Total number of participants
Sex
Males	18
Females	20
Age
18–25	12
26–34	11
35–43	15
Education
Primary education	36
Form four	02
Occupation
Farmers	25
Petty traders	06
Business	07
Marital type
Monogamous	25
Polygamous	13
Marital duration
1–5	25
6–11	09
12–17	04
Number of children
1–3	27
4–6	11
Religion
Muslims	15
Christians	23

Table 3 Major themes and subthemes that emerged in the study

Major themes	Subthemes
Relationship quality	• Marital conflict
	• Marital trust
	• Extramarital affairs
	• Sexual dissatisfaction
Social norms	• Norms of marital relations
	• Norms of marital status (Polygamous relation)
Gender power relation	• Threats of conflict and divorce