Transactional sex and its gendered nature amongst a student population.

Abstract

Women between 15 to 24 years of age carry twice the risk of acquiring HIV in comparison to their male counterparts, and a growing body of epidemiological knowledge suggests that the practice of transactional sex (TS) could be a significant contributor to this disparity in burden of disease. Whilst much research in the field includes women's views and experiences on TS, views and experiences on the subject are often excluded, thus presenting a gap in this growing body of knowledge on TS. As such the study in question included the implementation of three different FGDs on the subject of TS relationships on the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg Campus) and in the general public, incorporating both male and female university students' views on the subject matter. The study found that regardless of being a beneficiary or benefactor in TS relationships, men often retained the prevailing stereotype of being the provider, and that TS remained more favourable to men than it did to women, regardless of whether they were the beneficiary or the benefactor. Furthermore, this study found that whilst male beneficiaries and benefactors did not specifically share the same role, there was certainly some overlap. Overall, findings suggested that the phenomenon of TS itself was gendered in nature. It is suggested here that future research be more inclusive of both men􀂶s views and experiences of TS as either beneficiaries or benefactors, in order to attain a more holistic view of this phenomenon.