Transactional Sex as a Response to Risk in Western Kenya
Formal and informal commercial sex work is a way of life for many poor women in developing countries. Though sex workers have long been identified as crucial in affecting the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the nature of sex...
Main Authors: | , |
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Language: | English |
Published: |
2012
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090309080629 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4053 |
Summary: | Formal and informal commercial sex work
is a way of life for many poor women in developing
countries. Though sex workers have long been identified as
crucial in affecting the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in
Sub-Saharan Africa, the nature of sex-for-money transactions
remains poorly understood. Using a unique panel dataset
constructed from 192 self-reported sex worker diaries which
include detailed information on sexual behavior, labor
supply, and health shocks, the authors find that sex workers
adjust their supply of risky, better compensated sex to cope
with unexpected health shocks, exposing themselves to
increased risk of HIV infection. In particular, women are
3.1 percent more likely to see a client, 21.2 percent more
likely to have anal sex, and 19.1 percent more likely to
have unprotected sex on days in which a household member
falls ill. Women also increase their supply of risky sex on
days after missing work due to symptoms from a sexually
transmitted infection. Given that HIV prevalence has been
estimated at 9.8 percent in this part of Kenya, these
behavioral responses entail significant health risks for sex
workers and their partners, and suggest that sex workers are
unable to cope with risk through other formal or informal
consumption smoothing mechanisms. |
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