--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes, our social and economic…" description: "\"“Yes, our social and economic circumstances shape decisions we make about all sorts of things in life, including sex. Sometimes they rob us of the powe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/elizabeth-pisani-50844_decision-making_yes-our-social-and-economic-circumstance_1544843.jpg" --- # Yes, our social and economic circumstances shape decisions… ![“Yes, our social and economic circumstances shape decisions we make about all sorts of things in life, including sex. Sometimes they rob us of the power to make any decisions at all. But of all human activity, sex is among the least likely to fit neatly into the blueprint of rational decision…” quote by Elizabeth Pisani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/elizabeth-pisani-50844_decision-making_yes-our-social-and-economic-circumstance_1544843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/elizabeth-pisani-50844_decision-making_yes-our-social-and-economic-circumstance_1544843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/elizabeth-pisani-50844_decision-making_yes-our-social-and-economic-circumstance_1544843.jpg) > ““Yes, our social and economic circumstances shape decisions we make about all sorts of things in life, including sex. Sometimes they rob us of the power to make any decisions at all. But of all human activity, sex is among the least likely to fit neatly into the blueprint of rational decision making favoured by economists. To quote my friend Claire in Istanbul, sex is about 'conquest, fantasy, projection, infatuation, mood, anger, vanity, love, pissing off your parents, the risk of getting caught, the pleasure of cuddling afterwards, the thrill of having a secret, feeling desirable, feeling like a man, feeling like a woman, bragging to your mates the next day, getting to see what someone looks like naked and a million-and-one-other-things.' When sex isn't fun, it is often lucrative, or part of a bargain which gives you access to something you want or need. If HIV is spread by 'poverty and gender equality', how come countries that have plenty of both, such as Bangladesh, have virtually no HIV? How come South Africa and Botswana, which have the highest female literacy and per capita incomes in Africa, are awash with HIV, while countries that score low on both - such as Guinea, Somalia, Mali, and Sierra Leone - have epidemics that are negligible by comparison? How come in country after country across Africa itself, from Cameroon to Uganda to Zimbabwe and in a dozen other countries as well, HIV is lowest in the poorest households, and highest in the richest households? And how is it that in many countries, more educated women are more likely to be infested with HIV than women with no schooling? For all its cultural and political overtones, HIV is an infectious disease. Forgive me for thinking like an epidemiologist, but it seems to me that if we want to explain why there is more of it in one place than another, we should go back and take a look at the way it is spread.”” [Elizabeth Pisani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-pisani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Socioeconomic factors and personal dynamics shape sexual behavior, making rational economic models insufficient to explain HIV patterns. **In simple terms:** Sex decisions are driven by complex social and personal motives beyond economics. Key Takeaway Consider broader social contexts when addressing health issues. Themes public health sexual behavior economics epidemiology inequality Mood reflective analytical Type explanatory critical When to use this quote - policy design - health education - community outreach - research studies - public health interventions Key Concepts social determinants risk perception behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural norms influence health risks? - What role does power play in sexual decision‑making? A Different Perspective Economic models alone cannot capture the nuanced drivers of HIV transmission. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Educated women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-women/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Sierra leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sierra-leone/) [Things in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-in-life/) ## Related quotes > [Then you get these articles about how unhealthy life is in the city. 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Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I'll lie still for a lot of things - but sex isn't one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-ll-lie-still-for-a-lot-of-things-but-sex-isn-t-one-of-them/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [“We may have been crazed, strange and entirely too eager to find new things to have sex with - but we went out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/we-may-have-been-crazed-strange-and-entirely-too-eager-to-find-new/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [“What did I think I was doing? What did she think she was doing? 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It says, 'Rub it on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-schimmel/they-do-sell-a-lot-of-weird-things-in-sex-shops-they-have-this-stuff/) [Robert Schimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-schimmel/) > [“There were a few compensations to having corporeal Aspect. Food (jam tarts were my favourites); drink (mostly wine and mead); setting things on fire;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/there-were-a-few-compensations-to-having-corporeal-aspect-food-jam/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“Like most things, sex got better with age until one hit a certain plateau, and then it was like breakfast, unlikely to change unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-straub/like-most-things-sex-got-better-with-age-until-one-hit-a-certain/) [Emma Straub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-straub/) ## More by Elizabeth Pisani > [I think if we can prevent a fatal disease, we should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-pisani/i-think-if-we-can-prevent-a-fatal-disease-we-should/) [Elizabeth Pisani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-pisani/) > [“Local NGOs are like high-fashion boutiques. 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We waste so much time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-think-most-of-us-are-raised-with-preconceived-notions-of-the/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) [Browse all 4,912 Decision making quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yes, our social and economic circumstances shape decisions we make about all sorts of things in life, including sex. Sometimes they rob us of the power to make any decisions at all. But of all human activity, sex is among the least likely to fit neatly into the blueprint of rational decision making favoured by economists. To quote my friend Claire in Istanbul, sex is about 'conquest, fantasy, projection, infatuation, mood, anger, vanity, love, pissing off your parents, the risk of getting caught, the pleasure of cuddling afterwards, the thrill of having a secret, feeling desirable, feeling like a man, feeling like a woman, bragging to your mates the next day, getting to see what someone looks like naked and a million-and-one-other-things.' When sex isn't fun, it is often lucrative, or part of a bargain which gives you access to something you want or need. If HIV is spread by 'poverty and gender equality', how come countries that have plenty of both, such as Bangladesh, have virtually no HIV? How come South Africa and Botswana, which have the highest female literacy and per capita incomes in Africa, are awash with HIV, while countries that score low on both - such as Guinea, Somalia, Mali, and Sierra Leone - have epidemics that are negligible by comparison? How come in country after country across Africa itself, from Cameroon to Uganda to Zimbabwe and in a dozen other countries as well, HIV is lowest in the poorest households, and highest in the richest households? And how is it that in many countries, more educated women are more likely to be infested with HIV than women with no schooling? For all its cultural and political overtones, HIV is an infectious disease. 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