Transactional sex in Nigerian universities: social and demographic implications

Abstract

This study examines the interplay of social and environmental factors to argue that the consequences of transactional sex among university students in Nigeria are devastating, multidimensional, as well as an extension of decay in the already gasping educational system. The disorganization theory of the Chicago School and Merton's theory of differential opportunity enable the analysis to highlight the links between socio-cultural environment and prostitution. Data for the research which were collected from two universities in Southwestern Nigeria through triangulation of focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews and case-studies were analyzed using manual content analysis. Its findings show clearly that the phenomenon is common and acquiring new meanings among Nigerian students and at the same time being de-stigmatized in some quarters. The main results are: that involvement with the prostitute subculture entails a sequence of processes that culminate in psychological repositioning of the would-be transactional sex worker by demystification of perceived and actual risks associated with prostitution; that although poverty, the fun of belonging to the group of "happening babes", as a way of hurting parents among others predispose students to commercial sex, such predisposition is embedded in social disorganization; and that commercial sex has socio-demographic consequences which include: dropping out of school, high rate of rural-urban migration, loss of self-esteem, exposure to being raped, exposure to alcoholism, sexually transmitted infections (STls), unintended pregnancies, illegal abortions, child abandonment and death. These consequences suggest the centrality of urgent intervention from stakeholders towards re-orientating students on values that lead to meaningful human and social development.