Table 1

The reasons men give for not using condoms

(F) denotes that the comment originated with a female sex worker, referring to the excuses men give her for not using a condom.
Condoms are not pleasurable	1 Condoms “deny” pleasure
	2 They want sex “flesh to flesh”
	3 [Men say] “It is like having sex with yourself” (F)
	4 Using a condom means “losing twice”
	5 No sexual satisfaction for the woman if sperm not deposited in her vagina
	6 Women need friction, which they do not get from the condom
	7 [Men say] “It takes too long to ejaculate” (F)
Condoms are defective	8 Condoms have insects (wadadu)
	9 HIV/AIDS can penetrate condoms
	10 Women’s fluids are twice as acidic as sperm and condoms are porous
	11 Condoms developed for northern climate. In hot climates, they weaken and develop holes
	12 Condoms are too tight
	13 Some penises are too long to fit in condoms
	14 Condoms are not helpful because they have not contained HIV/AIDS
	15 Condoms come off during sex so no need to use them
	16 A peer educator was dying and said their condoms had expired and were useless
Condoms are harmful	17 White people introduced condoms laced with HIV/AIDS to Africa to reduce the population
	18 Women who preach condom use die even more than others
	19 Condoms collect sperm that infiltrate back to the stomach causing problems
	20 Condoms cause wounds in women’s private parts because of too much friction
	21 Condoms burn one’s penis. If you pull a condom hard it will burst into flames
	22 Condoms cause allergies
	23 Condoms can get lost in the woman’s vagina
	24 A man must release his sperm; keeping them inside his body for a month will cause backaches
	25 Discussing condoms makes them feel like they have HIV/AIDS
	26 Throwing away sperm means killing children
	27 [Men say] “Condoms cause cancer” (F)
	28 They promote promiscuity by giving a false sense of security (F)
Condoms are unnecessary	29 You can choose women by an “instinctive blood check”
	30 Don’t need with rural/young girls
	31 One can avoid infection by taking medicine before sex and urinating after
	32 HIV/AIDS does not exist. It is actually wasting (chiraa)
	33 If infected you have sex with many others so there is none left in you
Perceived ability	34 Men are too shy to buy them in public
	35 Men don’t remember to buy them
	36 Men have a “weak sexual nature”
	37 Men should not have to worry about carrying condoms
	38 Men don’t have anywhere to carry condoms
	39 Those who are already infected want to infect others so they do not die alone
	40 One cannot put on condoms without getting aroused, but once aroused, one cannot think
	41 Alcohol abuse makes people forget
	42 Sex outside happens so quickly there is no time
External forces	43 HIV/AIDS is a calamity long prophesied by the bible. Humans have no control over this
	44 Condoms are against God’s wishes. You should go out and multiply
	45 God intended sex to be pleasurable
	46 Dying from HIV/AIDS is like dying from an automobile accident. You cannot control it
	47 We are all going to die anyway, so we might as well die happy (F)
	48 Those who use condoms have “lost hope”
	49 For the Luo ethnic group, sex is used for certain transactions; condoms interfere with this
	50 Using condoms in a relationship means you do not trust the person