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92 CHAPTER 4 ■ Love, Sex, and HIV/AIDS

broken before adulthood (Nascimento, 2005). (See examples in Box 4-1.) Without
intervention, young women, too, can become trapped in situations where their life
choices are curtailed.
Some might argue that the strongest competition to the messages promul-
gated by Programs H and M is a mix of emotional blackmail (“If you really
loved me . . .”) and peer pressure, the lure of immediate sexual gratification,
and entertainment media’s reinforcement of machismo’s many manifestations.

P O S I TI O NIN G

For the young men targeted by Program H, the challenge is to redefine “what it
means to be a man.” Programa Hombres repositions manliness to include respon-
sible monogamous relationships, safe and loving sex, and respect for women.
Likewise, Program M seeks to reposition young women’s perception of
their role in relationships from subservient to equal and to expand their sense
of self-efficacy.

BOX 4-1 Machismo Defined

Traditional attitudes about masculinity—sometimes called machismo—include
beliefs that

• Men have more sexual urges than women.
• Men have the right to decide when and where to have sex.
• Sexual and reproductive health issues are women’s concerns.
• Men have the right to outside partners or relationships while women do
not.
• Child care or parenting is primarily a woman’s issue.
These traditional beliefs sustain and support the behaviors of men who
have internalized such norms, and in turn, act on them, by
• Not using condoms.
• Not seeking health services.
• Relegating reproductive health issues to women.
• Not taking an active role in caring for children they father.

Source: Nascimento, 2005.