The impact of gender, sexual scripts and lack of talk on students sexual and reproductive

Everything that has been elaborated on until now – doing gender, the dominant sexual script and new potential scripts emerging, the gendered sexual scripts, and the lack of talk about sexuality/SRH – all influence student’s sexual and reproductive health.

Challenges using contraceptive methods

Several of the students did not know where to get contraceptives or expressed insecurity about where to get it, and the price.³⁸ Many of the students did not know that they could get

contraceptives on campus, nor that they could be obtained for free. The few students who knew, mostly mentioned condoms, and not the other contraceptives available on campus.

Students who knew contraceptives were available on campus expressed insecurity about the service. A lack of information among students about the available services on campus and what they provide is evident, as is insufficient communication between the SRH services on campus and students.

Pharmacies and clinics/hospitals out of campus were the places most students referred to when explaining where to get contraceptives, indicating that the students did not perceive campus as a place to get contraceptive methods. The ‘student clinic’ was regarded a place you went when you were sick, and not relevant for SRH matters (although some mentioned it could be a place where they might provide also SRH services).

Other challenges mentioned was a fear among students: of other people seeing them receiving it, rumours spreading, and the fear of being judged. Students also feared communicating with health workers. This fear especially occurs among women/girls. Students feel ashamed getting contraceptives, as they know it is not right to have sex before marriage according to the

dominant script. Thus, getting contraceptives would be publicly admitting that one is sexually active. Lack of confidence was also described as a something which could hinder people from getting contraceptive methods. Another potential challenge in regard to getting contraceptive

38 This could be a result of not being sexually active and not using contraceptive methods, and therefore not knowing about the price.

92 methods was the clinics/services and the doctor/nurses, where the level of trust was not

necessarily present. Students would avoid using the clinics for these purposes as they believed it would not be private and confidential. This was even more crucial on campus, where

students feared their friends and teachers would get the information. Getting contraception on campus was therefore seen more challenging than getting it other places.

Challenges having safe sex

In regard to challenges having safe sex, or reasons why students would engage in unprotected sex, lack of knowledge/awareness was described as a major problem. If students did not have knowledge/awareness about SRH it would be challenging to have safe sex. Not only could this lead to lack of use of contraceptive methods, but also wrong use of it. It was furthermore described as difficult to ask others for help due to the lack of tradition for talking. People would also trust their sexual partners too much, and do not believe they might be infected by STIs or HIV/AIDS. The perception that ‘it won’t happen to me’ seemed to occur among students. This could be seen in light of the problem of ‘controlling their feelings’, described as a reason why people would engage in unprotected sex. It was also mentioned that people

‘may forget’ to use contraceptive methods, which could be seen in light of unplanned sex and alcohol consumption. Another factor making students avoid contraception, was a fear of side effects (some which could be described as misconceptions), such as putting on weight/losing weight, or that using contraceptive methods could/would make you infertile. Some students would therefore avoid using contraceptive methods to avoid side effects. Several students mentioned that a major challenge was economic problems, where students could not afford to buy contraceptives.

Challenges for Higher Educational Institutions in regard to student’s SRH

What has been elaborated on does not only illustrate challenges students face in getting contraceptive methods and having safe sex, but also illustrates lack of information and insufficient communication between the SRH services on campus and students. The lack of information about the available services on campus was seen among all the student. When interviewing people working at SRH services on campus, it became clear that (some) distribute contraceptive methods (and a variety of them) and offer testing and counselling,

93 provide different trainings/programs, peer education and events such as panel discussion.

Services exist (although several highlighted that more services had been provided previously, but that funding and focus had declined). One employee at a SRH service even told that the service had organized programs regarding SRH, but that few students showed up. In other words, they do offer services, but students do not attend. The information does not seem to have reached the students and the students did not perceive this as a relevant place for SRH related matters.

All new students get information about the available SRH services on campus during a one (half) day orientation when they start as new students. However, several of the students reported never getting this information, nor getting information about the different events such as panel discussion, trainings/programs and existing clubs during their several years as students. Some of the male students said this information and training would mostly be held for women, thus it was not perceived as relevant/aimed for them or other male students.

According to the students, the distribution of information is not good enough and does not reach all the students, and some described it as something you must figure out yourself.

Several of the students addressed the university’s responsibility for providing sufficient information and services, and for creating awareness, as well as a current state of lack of commitment to address/provide SRH information. It was stated that the university should provide students with basic information, and not merely leave the responsibility to NGOs or clubs. It was also highlighted that students coming to the university have different

backgrounds and therefore different level of knowledge/awareness about SRH. Hence, the university should take responsibility in creating awareness, and utilize the context that campus composes – a place where people (with different backgrounds and level of knowledge) come together to learn.

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