“You Still Need to Give Her a Token of Appreciation”: The Meaning of the Exchange of Money in the Sexual Relationships of Out-of-School Adolescents in Rural Southwest Uganda

Abstract

This article challenges the pervasive assumption that exchanging gifts and money in adolescent sexual relationships is transactional. Data were derived from a multi-method, qualitative sexual health needs assessment of 31 out-of-school adolescents in rural southwest Uganda. Grounded theory analysis allows contextual meanings of exchange to emerge. Adolescents have developed gendered courting and exchange models that parallel marital relationships in this cultural context. Whereas exchange is considered transactional and immoral in some types of relationships, in adolescent relationships, it is not. Young women are not ashamed of, or stigmatized by, the exchange; they are proud of it. The exchange signifies several things: self-respect and a partner's willingness to wait for the relationships to become sexual and, therefore, that they are valued and respected by their partners. This demonstrates commitment from a partner, whose role is as a provider. To expect no gift or to have sex for pleasure are the hallmarks of the worst kind of woman-a malaya. "Need" is the only acceptable rationale for extramartial sex for any woman in this sexual value system. Interventions promoting longer courting and sustained support for one partner would encourage a delay in debut for young women and encourage greater monogamy in young men.

Risk factors for unplanned sex among university students in Kampala, Uganda: a qualitative study

“…Our observations are in agreement with a similar study in Uganda (Nobelius et al, 2010) where the presentation or acceptance of goods or gifts was associated with transactional sex (Hingson et al, 2003;Wamoyi et al, 2010). Unplanned sex may also serve to escape certain situations, illustrating the interaction between personal and environmental factors on students' behaviours.…”

HIV among out-of-school youth in Eastern and Southern Africa: a review

“…Focus group discussions in Uganda revealed that rural out-ofschool young women find material need a more appropriate motive for sex than pleasure (Nobelius et al 2010b). In quantitative research among 628 out-of-school youth aged between 15 and 24 in Bahir town, Alemu et al (2007) observed that the probability of having sex with either a commercial or a non-regular sexual partner rose with a factor ranging between 1.83 and 4.23 (CI 95%) for out-ofschool adolescents who drink alcohol at least once a week (in comparison to out-of-school youth reporting no alcohol intake).…”

Exploring the “Blesser and Blessee” Phenomenon: Young Women, Transactional Sex, and HIV in Rural South Africa

“…This is because these young women engage in transactional sex not willingly but because of economic reasons. Studies have reported high HIV prevalence and incidence rates among uneducated and unemployed young women who live in poverty in rural parts of SSA (Barnett & Maticka-Tyndale, 2011;Nobelius et al, 2010).…”