Description

The reasons why African women become engaged in sex
work have received little attention in academic
research. While it is largely acknowledged that there
exists a connection between entering the sex trade
and poverty, not all women who are poor enter sex
work. Through the use of life histories with 21 women
between the ages of 18 and 42, this book explores the
combination of factors that lead women and girls to
become commercial sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya. The
life histories provide a detailed look at initiation
into sex work as it occurs over the life course for
women and girls in this context. Additionally, this
book examines how structural violence impinges on the
lives of women, thereby increasing their
vulnerability to engagement in sex work. In Nairobi,
many girls are losing caregiver support by being
orphaned, while additionally, women are burdened with
providing total economic and social support for the
family in a society that has gendered economic
opportunities. Both girls and women are left with few
options other than the sex trade to survive.