Transactional Relationships Within a University Campus in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Research on transactional sex and relationships within university spaces is growing. Much of this research focuses on the intergenerational nature and the centrality of sex and money in such relationships. However, little attention has been paid to transactional relationships that do not necessarily involve money and that involve people within the university such as students and nonacademic university workers. As such, there is a dearth of research on campus-based transactional relationships involving students themselves and university workers where nonmaterial resources other than money are central in mediating such relationships. This article attempts to fill this knowledge gap by examining the complex dynamics of transactional relationships within a university campus in Zimbabwe. The empirical findings shows that scarce resources in the midst of growing student enrolment compel many, especially female students to venture into the campus “sexual economy” to make do and get by. In a context of lack, and protracted economic crisis, students become vulnerable to transactional sex to access scarce resources such as good grades, accommodation, and books. Therefore, the campus sexual economy enables students to creatively navigate existential challenges on campus. I argue that the construction, perceptions, and experiences of transactional sex on campus are gendered and complex.