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Understanding heteronormativity through the 'lived sexualities' of single women in urban Bangladesh, who are rarely included in any discourse of sexuality, this paper looks at middle class women who do not conform to marriage normativity but who carve out a space of social respect, acceptance and happiness through a long process of negotiation and careful navigation. Taking the intersectionality of gender, class and sexuality as its focus—this qualitative study seeks to understand the tactics of avoidance and the strategic routes women employ in their everyday lives as they negotiate heteronormative prohibitions to pursue sexuality and pleasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated girls' confidence to undertake menstrual management tasks at home and in school environments using cross-sectional data from a survey of 1,359 schoolgirls in Bangladesh. At home, 57% of girls reported they were 'very confident' undertaking tasks to manage their menstrual bleeding, while this figure was only 7% at school. We assessed personal, interpersonal and environmental contributors for each context. The use of sanitary pads was positively associated with confidence to manage menstruation at home, while other menstrual hygiene practices were unrelated. In multivariable models, features of sanitation facilities such as cleanliness and the presence of a bin were associated with increased confidence at home. At school, supportive policies, such providing permission to use the toilet when needed, were associated with greater confidence. Talking to a friend about menstruation was positively associated with confidence at school, while at home having discussed menstruation with parents predicted lower confidence. Findings provide quantitative support for the role of multiple independent predictors in girls' confidence to manage menstruation highlighted by qualitative studies. There is unlikely to be a single 'silver bullet' to improving menstrual experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated girls' confidence to undertake menstrual management tasks at home and in school environments using cross-sectional data from a survey of 1,359 schoolgirls in Bangladesh. At home, 57% of girls reported they were 'very confident' undertaking tasks to manage their menstrual bleeding, while this figure was only 7% at school. We assessed personal, interpersonal and environmental contributors for each context. The use of sanitary pads was positively associated with confidence to manage menstruation at home, while other menstrual hygiene practices were unrelated. In multivariable models, features of sanitation facilities such as cleanliness and the presence of a bin were associated with increased confidence at home. At school, supportive policies, such providing permission to use the toilet when needed, were associated with greater confidence. Talking to a friend about menstruation was positively associated with confidence at school, while at home having discussed menstruation with parents predicted lower confidence. Findings provide quantitative support for the role of multiple independent predictors in girls' confidence to manage menstruation highlighted by qualitative studies. There is unlikely to be a single 'silver bullet' to improving menstrual experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hijra, the iconic figure of South Asian gender and sexual difference, comprise a publicly institutionalised subculture of male-bodied feminine-identified people. Although they have existed as a culturally recognised third gender for a very long time, it is only recently thathijrahave been legally recognised as a third gender in several South Asian countries. This paper focuses on the transformation of this long-running cultural category of third gender into a legal category of third gender in Bangladesh, showing that the process of legal recognition has necessitated a simultaneous mobilisation of a discourse of disability in the constitution ofhijraas citizens worthy of rights. While the international community views the recognition of a third gender as a progressive socio-legal advance in the obtaining of sexual rights in a Muslim majority Bangladesh, locally,hijraare understood as a special group of people born with ‘missing’ or ambiguous genitals delinked from desire. Furthermore, what was previously a trope of disfigurement based on putative genital status has now been transformed into a discourse of disability, a corollary to which several interest groups, namely the civil society, the state, international community andhijrathemselves, have all been party. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper seeks to answer the question of how Muslim women interpret and negotiate religion in order to realise their reproductive aspirations. A close reading of lived experiences of 32 Muslim women from a varied educational background yields a wider perspective of the different interpretations of reproductive norms employed by adherents of the same religion (Islam), situated in two countries (India/Bangladesh) and group (majority/minority) contexts. Further, this comparative study yields a deeper understanding of agency that is employed by Muslim participants in each country. Muslim women – both in India and Bangladesh – are not passive followers of religious norms, but have agency to bring change in their own life and take an active role in planning their family, thereby transgressing religious norms in reproductive matters. Muslim women in India exercise their agency by adopting sterilisation – a method proscribed by Islam – without the knowledge of their significant others. Muslim women in Bangladesh use their agency by making a flexible interpretation of Islam in reproductive matters. A lesson learned from this comparative study is the need to remove barriers that prevent the adoption of contraceptives by Muslim minorities in India and to design family planning programmes that takes into account their religious needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores communication and negotiation regarding contraception and childbearing based on multiple semi-structured interviews with 19 married couples in southwestern Bangladesh. The narratives of three couples are presented to describe how sociocultural context and gender-based norms influence interactions between husbands and wives and their fertility decision-making. Despite national-level declines in fertility, the couples' stories illustrate the ongoing struggles to balance their desired number of male and female children with their financial and social well-being. The stories also indicate that the nature of the interactions between spouses evolves throughout the course of their marital and reproductive lifespans, resulting in a shift in fertility decision-making power. Both wives and husbands described the relative powerlessness of new wives in negotiating fertility with husbands and extended family; however, wives' preferences appeared to dominate as they became more established in their households. Many wives acted independently and often contrary to their husbands' desires, through their covert use or non-use of contraception and pregnancy termination. These findings illustrate that, despite efforts to increase contraceptive availability within Bangladesh, without concurrent changes in the opportunities available for women beyond their reproductive capacities, the demand for children, and particularly for male children, is not likely to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of men who have sex with men in South Asian countries including Bangladesh have tended to focus mainly on measuring male-to-male sexual risk behaviours, with less attention being given to understanding the nature and meaning of their sexual relations with women. This can result in missed opportunities for HIV/AIDS-related intervention. This paper, based on a small scale qualitative study, attempts to develop a cultural model to understand men who have sex with men's sexual relations with women within a gender and masculinity framework. Findings reveal that in Bangladesh men who have sex with men frequently surrender to societal pressures to marry, become husbands and shoulder fatherhood. This forces some women to become the silent sufferers of some of the negative consequences of hetero-normative patriarchal practice. Importantly, however, men who have sex with men consider sex with women a form of real sex within a framework of masculine sexual potency irrespective of preference, desire or eroticism. Thus, challenges exist to undertaking sexual health promotion and HIV/AIDS prevention in culturally sensitive ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, based on in-depth interviews of 54 women selected from both rural and urban areas, analyses the sexual behaviour of married women in Bangladesh. The study reveals that at the time of marriage girls have very limited knowledge about sex and married life. In a few cases, this has a significant bearing on later sexual behaviour and the expression of sexuality. The study also indicates that, despite normative restrictions, many women find ways of communicating about sex and sexuality with their husbands, and most enjoy their sexual life. Communication on contraception is almost desexualized and generally occurs early in their married life. In most cases, discussion of sex or contraception is initiated by husbands. These findings encourage new efforts to prevent the transmission of STIs/HIV and make married life sexually more enjoyable. The study reveals considerable variation in the sexual behaviour of women with respect to sexual negotiation, sex during menstruation and forced sex. Findings suggest the need for further studies to identify and address the factors causing such variations and producing undesirable reproductive health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]