Revisiting the economics of transactional sex: evidence from Tanzania

Abstract

Transactional sex has been identified as one of the key structural drivers of the HIV epidemic. Mainstream economic analyses of this practice primarily conceptualise transactional sex in the language of rational choice, with the focus on behavioural decisions that women make over whether to engage in transactional interactions (or not). However, whilst providing some important insights in relation to the role of poverty and the importance of acknowledging that women are more than passive agents, these approaches fail to address the social and economic complexities of this practice that are reflected in the broader literature. Further, due to the technical framework used, there is a failure to deal with the broader socio-economic and historical underpinnings of this practice. Using evidence from fieldwork undertaken in Tanzania, the authors revisit the economics of transactional sex, and offer an alternative economic approach to understanding this practice. They explore the notion that transactional sex is an established local sexual norm, and how this norm is creatively applied and reapplied in a range of situations by different actors, including through participation in local value chains. Their analysis has a number of implications for future prevention efforts that differ from the current focus on microfinance as a means of empowering women.

‘We shall drink until Lake Victoria dries up’: Drivers of heavy drinking and illicit drug use among young Ugandans in fishing communities

“…This overlap has previously been documented in fishing communities in East Africa, including the complex dimensions of fish-for-sex transactions in sub-Saharan African inland fisheries (Béné & Merten, 2008). Social, political, economic (Deane & Wamoyi, 2015), and environmental contexts, such as legislative/policy frameworks, social networks (Ditmore, 2013;Van Hout et al, 2019), physical locations of bars, brothels (C. Parry et al, 2009) and policing practices (Rhodes et al, 2006), may affect risk and vulnerability not only for addiction but also for HIV transmission (Seeley et al, 2012).…”

Exploring the relationship between population mobility and HIV risk: Evidence from Tanzania

“…(male maize trader) This is not to suggest that maize traders are 'helpless' targets of local women, but echoes the case studies of truck drivers that suggests they are often viewed as desirable sexual partners (Kamwanga et al, 2006). Further, other study participants noted that men used these opportunities in a coercive manner to extract sex, highlighting that these transactional interactions will occur with varying degrees of male and female agency (Deane and Wamoyi, 2015). These examples emphasise that income differentials between maize traders, who have money available to use for purchasing maize, and potential sexual partners in destination areas, can influence sexual interactions.…”

Protecting women from economic shocks to prevent HIV in Africa: Evidence from the POWER randomised controlled trial in Cameroon

“…Globally, female sex workers are a key population in the fight against HIV and are now 26 times more likely to be infected than the general population, up from 13 times in 2017 (1,4). There is growing evidence that heterosexual sex as part of commercial and transactional relationships, "non-commercial sexual relationships in exchange for material support and benefits", are a key driver of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa (5,6).…”