This study was a qualitative descriptive interpretive investigation into a group of women's attitudes to the use of condoms in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Twenty women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The participants' perception of who should be responsible for providing and ensuring use of condoms varied, as did their attitudes to condom use. Negative attitudes centred around the need to be prepared for sex, the nuisance value and the need to be careful of slip-ups, while positive attitudes centred around the lack of mess. Most women in a committed relationship did not use condoms other than for contraception because they trusted their partners to be faithful. Raising the issue outside of birth control suggested unfaithfulness. These women were on the whole more confident of their ability to negotiate condom use than had been found in previous studies. It was concluded that the safe sex message is not getting through to many women, that health promotion should continue to stress the message about safe sex and that advertising should stress the positive aspects of condom use.
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