Margrethe Silberschmidt

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Margrethe Silberschmidt

Department of Women and Gender Research in Medicine
Institute of Public Health
University of Copenhagen
Øster Farimagsgade 5
P.O. Box 2099
Copenhagen K
Denmark              

E-mail: m.silberschmidt @ pubhealth.ku.dk

Education

1998 Post Doc

1996 Ph.D. in Social Anthropology

1982 IMCC (International Medical Corporation Committee) Certificate. Course in International Health. Institute of Hygiene, University of Copen­hagen, Den­mark.

1981 M.A. in Social Anthropology. Institute for Ethnography and Social Anthropo­logy, University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Employment

2002-  Associate professor, Department of Women and Gender Research in Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. Current research: "Constructions of masculinities and their influence on male sexual and reproductive health and behaviour in urban East Africa".

1999- Associated researcher, Institute of Public Health, Department of Internatio­nal Health/Department of Women and Gender Research in Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Medicine.

1996-1998 Post doc research. Institute of Public Health, Department of International      Health, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Medicine: "Gender identity: A neglected dimension in the study of reproductive and sexual behaviour in urban Tanzania".

1996-1997 Honorary lecturer (part of post doc research). Department of Behavioural Sciences. Institute of Public Health. University of Dar es Salaam. Tanzania.

1994-1996 Research fellow, Centre for Development Research, Copenhagen.

1992-1994 Chief consultant on Gender and Development, Centre for Alternative Social Analysis.

1982-1992 Research fellow, Centre for Development Research, Copenhagen in connec­tion with the following projects:

1. "A Socio-Economic Study of Women's Utilization Rates of Rural Health Services and Family Planning Services in Rural Areas in Kenya". Research carried out for Danish Research Council and the European Economic Community, Brussels (finalized April 1989)
2. "Changing Male Roles and Gender Relations: Implications for Women's Status and Role in Kisii District, Kenya"
3. "Gender Antagonism and Socio-Economic Change: A study from Kisii District Kenya", (Ph.D. Thesis)

Key qualifications

Margrethe Silberschmidt has a combination of research, teaching and practical experience. Her field of specialization includes sexual and reproductive health and behaviour incl. HIV/AIDS; policy issues as well as gender and gender focused methodologies. She has several peer reviewed publications in international journals. She has also published a monograph 'Women forget that men are the masters': Gender antagonism and socio-economic change in Kisii District, Kenya. She has an extensive international network and has presented her work at a large number of national and international conferences. She has also contributed to the Danish development debate in Danida/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in various media (radio, newspapers etc.). She is a recurrent reviewer for Social Science & Medicine and other international journals.

Current research

Margrethe Silberschmidt's current research is a comparative study: "Constructions of masculinities and their influence on male sexual and reproductive health and behaviour in urban East Africa".

The aim of the research is to explore how culturally constructed ideals about masculinity and sexuality income and HIV/AIDS stricken urban areas in East Africa (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Kampala, Uganda) govern relations between genders and in particular men's sexual  health practices.

Central research questions are among others

• have the different ways in which the two countries have dealt with the HIV/AIDS epidemic initiated behaviour change?
• Have new standards for masculinity and sexual practices been set by Ugandan men?
• If so, what are they, and have they opened up for more gender equality? 

Key features of the methodological approach are 

1. the comparative approach
2. the quantitative survey and 
3. the qualitative approach: individual interviews and focus group discussions (both men and women were participated)[1]

[1]  The collection of data took place over 9 months in 2003 and 2004. 150 men and 50 women were interviewed according to a questionnaire in Dar es Salaam and Kampala, respectively. These interviews formed the basis for a number of themes for the qualitative part of the research. Interview themes and guidelines were developed to be administered during focus group discussions (men and women separately and mixed) and individual interviews with men and women.  The qualitative data collection which started in different low income areas of Kampala (20 focus group discussions, 10 participants) with men and women, and 40 individual interviews (20 men and 20 women) was completed end of May 2004, taped and transcribed. Same procedure was followed in Dar es Salaam from October to December, 2004. All interviews (totalling 880) were conducted in Kiswahili and Luganda, respectively. The data are now in the process of being analysed.