What's Acceptable to Ask? Exploring Questions about Sexual Behavior with Women in North India

Shelah S. Bloom, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sunita Singh, Banaras Hindu University
Kaushalendra K. Singh, Banaras Hindu University

Research in South Asia has shown that women are reluctant to talk about sexual behavior. This study explored what will be acceptable to ask women in a household survey in focus groups conducted in two areas of urban and rural North India. Results did not vary between regional or residential settings. Women voiced that they were willing to talk about sexual negotiation within marriage. Women's out-of-marriage sexual activity was considered unacceptable, but most said they would share what they knew of husbands' premarital and extra marital experiences. Most conceded that these questions would be difficult to answer because women generally knew very little about their husband's sexual activity outside of marriage. Also, these questions could be so embarrassing that women may not answer. Women stressed that if they were treated with respect and questions were asked "nicely", they would answer a range of sensitive questions pertaining to sexual behavior.