Economic Determinants of Sexual Debut among Secondary School Students: A Case of Rural Kenya | Chapter 04 | Research Developments in Arts and Social Studies Vol. 4

 The majority of individuals, even teenagers, are motivated by financial gain. A person's need for money and resources may lead to an early sexual debut. As a result, we wanted to see if economic considerations had an impact on sexual debut among secondary school students. This was done using Marxist philosophy as a guide. The researchers used a mixed-approach strategy that comprised both quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods. The study targeted three categories of teenage participants: mixed-gender day secondary schools, girls-only boarding secondary schools, and boys-only boarding secondary schools, with a total of 400 participants (200 females and 200 males) aged 14 to 18. Focus group discussions (FGDs), case narratives, and key informant interviews were employed to collect qualitative data. According to the statistics, 61% of students have ever had sex, with mixed-gender day schools having a greater rate (63.5%) than single-gender schools (58.5 percent ). Male students were more likely than female students to have ever had sex [OR=1.59 (95% CI 0.83,1.85), p=0.03]. The majority of pupils received spending money (89%) and presents (60%) from their parents. Those who received presents from boyfriends/girlfriends, on the other hand, had four times the chance of ever having intercourse (OR 4.04, 95 percent CI 1.36-11.97). Qualitative evidence, on the other hand, revealed that the desire for money for both basic needs and pleasure had a significant influence on adolescent sexual debut. Finally, the majority of Nyamira County's in-school teenagers have had sex at some point in their lives. Parents fed the vast majority of students indicating a pluralistic environment in which peer pressure, cultural norms, and popular culture on social and mainstream media all played a part in early sexual debut Moneyed people were seen as wielding influence over others' autonomy, and their economic circumstances were seen as affecting their actions, supporting Marxist theory.

Author(S) Details

Diana Kerubo Ondieki
African Women’s Studies Centre, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Dalmas Ochieng’ Omia
African Women’s Studies Centre, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Wanjiru Gichuhi
African Women’s Studies Centre, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Caroline Marygorety Akinyi Otieno
African Women’s Studies Centre, University of Nairobi, Kenya.


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