Background

The UN policies on global sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) use gender as the foremost social determinant to explain vulnerability in relation to SRHR among young people. The Agenda 2030 explains SRHR only in relation to girls and women. Can we find new ways to analyse and discuss vulnerability and resources in SRHR. Our hypothesis is that intersectionality might be a useful tool.

Aim

The aim is as to explore intersecting vulnerable positions within the three SRHR related outcome areas; unsafe sex, sex against one’s will and transactional sex , among young people aged 16 29, through the development of a stepwise descriptive intersecting vulnerability analysis.

Methods

Three outcome variables from the survey: 

1. unsafe sex,

2. sex against one’s will

3. transactional sex

Cross tabulations of outcome variables (1-3) stratified by gender and

the intersection of five other social determinants:

1. gender*sexual identity

2. gender*transgender experience

3. gender*economy

4. gender*foreign born

5. gender*social welfare recipiency

Results

The descriptive intersecting vulnerability analysis visualise how gender intersects with five other social determinants and how this generates vulnerable positions within the three outcome areas: unsafe sex, sex against one’s will and transactional sex. Vulnerable positions are complex and different in most of the three outcome areas. Intersectionality is a useful tool for vulnerability analysis in SRHR.