Presented at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in the United States, Harling’s study followed about 2,400 HIV-negative women in rural Hlabisa in KwaZulu-Natal.
The study found that on average, women in their late teens and 20s had sexual partners about five years older than themselves.
The research also found that among these age groups, there were no significant differences in the HIV risk between women who reported sexual partners closer in age versus those who reported sexual partners who were much older.
Watch and listen to the presentation
For more reaction to the research, read GroundUp News Editor Nathan Geffen’s reaction piece, “Anti-sugar daddy campaign not supported by evidence”
