Economic Determinants of Sexual Debut among Secondary School Students: A Case of Rural Kenya

Abstract

Most people are driven by material gains and adolescents are no exception. The need for money and resources may predispose one to early sexual debut. We therefore sought to determine whether economic factors had an effect on sexual debut among secondary school going students. This was done through the lens of the Marxist theory. A mixed-approaches design was followed, which included both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The study focused on three types of adolescent participants: mixed-gender day secondary schools, girls-only boarding secondary schools, and boys-only boarding secondary schools, where a sample of 400 (200 females and 200 males) aged 14-18 years was recruited for a quantitative survey. To gather qualitative data, focus group discussions (FGDs), case narratives, and key informant interviews were used. According to the findings, 61% of pupils had ever had sex, with mixed day schools having a higher percentage (63.5%) than single sex institutions (58.5 percent ). Male students were more likely to have ever had sex compared to female students [OR=1.59(95% CI 0.83,1.85), p=0.03]. Most of the students got spending money (89%) and gifts (60%) from their parents. However, those receiving gifts from boy/girlfriends had four times the odds of ever having sex (OR 4.04, 95% CI 1.36-11.97). On the other hand, qualitative data suggested that the need for money for both basic requirements and pleasure played a big impact in adolescent sexual debut. Finally, the majority of Nyamira county's in-school teens had ever had sex. The majority of pupils were fed by their parents, signaling a pluralist setting in which peer pressure, cultural norms, and popular culture on social and mainstream media all had a role in early sexual debut. Those with money were regarded as having power over others' autonomy, and their economic environment was perceived as influencing their decisions, supporting Marxist theory.