The feminine ideal and transactional sex: Navigating respectability and risk in Swaziland

Abstract

Women who engage in transactional sex are not only at increased risk of HIV and intimate partner violence, but also face social risks including gossip and ostracism. These social and physical risks may be dependent on both what a woman expects and needs from her partner and how her community perceives the relationship. Gender theory suggests that some of these social risks may hinge on whether or not a woman’s relationship threatens dominant masculinity. We conducted a qualitative study in Swaziland from September 2013 to October 2014 to explore transactional sex and respectable femininity through the lens of hegemonic gender theory. Using cultural consensus modeling, we identified cultural models of transactional sex and conducted 16 in-depth interviews with model key informants and 3 focus group discussions, for a total of 41 participants. We identified 4 main models of transactional relationships: One typified by marriage and high social respectability, a second in which women aspire towards marriage, a third particular to University students, and a fourth “sugar daddy” model. Women in all models expected and received significant financial support from their male partners. However, women in less respectable relationships risked social censure and stigma if they were discovered, in part because aspects of their relationship threatened hegemonic masculinity. Conversely, women who received male support in respectable relationships had to carefully select HIV risk reduction strategies that did not threaten their relationship and associated social status. Research and programming efforts typically focus only on the less socially respectable forms of transactional sex. This risks reinforcing stigma for women in relationships that are already considered socially unacceptable while ignoring the unique HIV risks faced by women in more respectable relationships.

Sexual health of adolescent girls and young women in Central Uganda: exploring perceived coercive aspects of transactional sex

“…4,5 These challenges include unplanned pregnancy, and HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 5 Globally, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15-24 years have HIV infection rates twice as high as their male counterparts [6][7][8] with estimates indicating that 31% of all new infections in sub-Saharan Africa are among AGYW. 6,7,9 Approximately 54.7% of Uganda's population are below 18 years of age with female youth twice as likely not to go to school as their male counterparts.…”

“…18,22 Furthermore, transactional sex is also driven by normative expectations of courtship, which remain highly gendered. Men are expected to demonstrate their interest and investment in a relationship through material provision 8,18,22,29,[37][38][39][40] and women are expected to provide sexual access in exchange for material support. 6,8,9,27,29,37,40 There is a limited exploration in the literature of AGYW's views of the extent to which they feel coerced into entering transactional sex relationships or the role that any coercion has on their sexual health.…”

“…Men are expected to demonstrate their interest and investment in a relationship through material provision 8,18,22,29,[37][38][39][40] and women are expected to provide sexual access in exchange for material support. 6,8,9,27,29,37,40 There is a limited exploration in the literature of AGYW's views of the extent to which they feel coerced into entering transactional sex relationships or the role that any coercion has on their sexual health. This paper is part of the Learning Initiative on Norms Exploitation and ABUSE (LINEA) https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centresprojects-groups/linea and the STRIVE Research Consortium http://strive.lshtm.ac.uk/ and seeks to address this knowledge gap by exploring the views of AGYWs and other community members on the extent to which AGYW's participation in transactional sex relationships is perceived to be coerced.…”

Agency as a mediator in the pathway from transactional sex to HIV among pregnant women in Swaziland: a multigroup path analysis

“…One study from South Africa found that while agency is likely an important mediator of risk for young women who engage in transactional relationships, complex pathways necessitate studies which carefully consider the nuances of how we conceptualize and measure transactional sex, as well as the social landscape within which these relationships exist [ 18 ]. The research presented here is part of a larger project that was designed to understand what women hope to gain materially and socially from transactional sex, how the social and material consequences of transactional sex may mediate the association between transactional sex and HIV risk, and whether or not a woman’s agency - in addition to simply the amount of material support she receives from her partner - is a key risk factor within sexual-economic relationships [ 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Women’s sexual relationships affect their social status within a community and can generate material gains and losses beyond what they receive from their partner ( Figure 1 ) [ 5 , 21 , 22 ]. A high-status partner or access to consumer goods may increase a woman’s social capital within her community, particularly if the relationship is long term or they are married [ 6 , 7 , 20 , 23 ]. It can also strengthen her social network if she is able to provide for her family and friends through his financial support [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 10 , 20 ].…”