ABSTRACT
Sexuality appears to be even more intensely private and personal in Hispanic culture than in white non-Hispanic culture. Anecdotal information suggests that sexual issues often are not discussed even between sexual partners. Hispanic women may be very uncomfortable when a condom is presented to them (Compagnet 1987). In traditional Hispanic culture, the "good" woman is not supposed to know about sex, so it is inappropriate for her to bring up subjects like AIDS and condoms. Amaro (1988) found that married Hispanic women in Los Angeles had sexual relations infrequently and often perceived them as not particularly enjoyable. There is also a fairly strong double standard that allows men to have sex outside of marriage, commonly with prostitutes. Given the higher rates of HIV infection in Hispanic prostitutes found recently (Centers for Disease Control 1987), such a double standard is likely to result in additional spread of the virus. When asked about abstinence, some Hispanic men felt that not having sex would be nearly impossible as well as unhealthy for them (Marin and Marin 1987).
