The naked truth about the Swedish condom market

Abstract

In Sweden, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasing and the numbers of abortions, due to unwanted pregnancies, are among the highest in Western Europe. Moreover, STIs become increasingly more difficult to treat and cure. For example, gonorrhea is becoming resistant against to various antibiotics and other diseases are occurring more frequently as an effect of low usage of condoms, such as oropharyngeal cancer. The condom is the only prophylactic and contraceptive method available. However, the use of condoms in Sweden is low and decreasing. There is ample research within social marketing on how to increase condom usage through behavioral change, yet these theories are not applied in Sweden in order to increase condom usage. Why is there not more condom marketing in Sweden? To answer this, it is relevant to study what actors construct the Swedish condom market and what their marketing efforts to increase usage are. One finding of this qualitative study is that the involved actors of the Swedish condom market are dominated by one single actor, constructing a de facto monopoly. This organization, RFSU AB, is owned by RFSU who in turn is controlled by its members who does not have the condom as their main focus. Furthermore, there is generally low interest in condoms for other involved actors, such as the Public Health Agency in Sweden and the health care system. For these actors, other contraceptives or products have higher priority. Moreover, there is a clear ideological difference between RFSU and RFSU AB, which highly affect the marketing efforts for the condom. Despite the clear evidence of the effects of marketing and condom social marketing, these methods are not applied in Sweden concerning the condom, even though involved actors believe in the marketing and/or behavioral change effects for other products and/or practices.