The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health
Financial technology tools have been utilised to create readily available mobile loan platforms for urban-based, daily-wage earners in Kenya. From a financial lending perspective, this development signals greater inclusion and equality in formal bank financing systems. In this paper, however, we exa...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-01-01
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Series: | Global Public Health |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2184484 |
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author | Pascal Macharia Samantha Moore Matthew Thomann Peninah Mwangi Bernadette Kombo Regine King Lisa Lazarus Robert Lorway |
author_facet | Pascal Macharia Samantha Moore Matthew Thomann Peninah Mwangi Bernadette Kombo Regine King Lisa Lazarus Robert Lorway |
author_sort | Pascal Macharia |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Financial technology tools have been utilised to create readily available mobile loan platforms for urban-based, daily-wage earners in Kenya. From a financial lending perspective, this development signals greater inclusion and equality in formal bank financing systems. In this paper, however, we examine mobile loans and their repayment from the perspective of women who sell sex in Nairobi, drawing upon the qualitative findings of two community-based studies conducted in close collaboration with sex worker-led organisations serving the sexual health needs of their peers. Our findings suggest that mobile loans may undermine the financial security strategies and economic independence of sex workers, leaving these women in more precarious economic circumstances, which have been shown in other instances to have effects on sexual risk taking and vulnerability to HIV infection. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:03:25Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-3507f071826f442f87112a34c6ba6446 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1744-1692 1744-1706 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:03:25Z |
publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
record_format | Article |
series | Global Public Health |
spelling | doaj.art-3507f071826f442f87112a34c6ba64462023-09-21T13:56:58ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Public Health1744-16921744-17062023-01-0118110.1080/17441692.2023.21844842184484The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual healthPascal Macharia0Samantha Moore1Matthew Thomann2Peninah Mwangi3Bernadette Kombo4Regine King5Lisa Lazarus6Robert Lorway7Health Options for Young Men Against STI/HIV/AIDSUniversity of ManitobaUniversity of Maryland at College ParkBar Hostess Empowerment and Support ProgramUniversity of ManitobaUniversity of CalgaryUniversity of ManitobaUniversity of ManitobaFinancial technology tools have been utilised to create readily available mobile loan platforms for urban-based, daily-wage earners in Kenya. From a financial lending perspective, this development signals greater inclusion and equality in formal bank financing systems. In this paper, however, we examine mobile loans and their repayment from the perspective of women who sell sex in Nairobi, drawing upon the qualitative findings of two community-based studies conducted in close collaboration with sex worker-led organisations serving the sexual health needs of their peers. Our findings suggest that mobile loans may undermine the financial security strategies and economic independence of sex workers, leaving these women in more precarious economic circumstances, which have been shown in other instances to have effects on sexual risk taking and vulnerability to HIV infection.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2184484mobile loanssex workkenyasexual healthprecaritydebt |
spellingShingle | Pascal Macharia Samantha Moore Matthew Thomann Peninah Mwangi Bernadette Kombo Regine King Lisa Lazarus Robert Lorway The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health Global Public Health mobile loans sex work kenya sexual health precarity debt |
title | The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health |
title_full | The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health |
title_fullStr | The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health |
title_full_unstemmed | The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health |
title_short | The precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya: Implications for sexual health |
title_sort | precarity of mobile loan debt and repayment among female sex workers in nairobi kenya implications for sexual health |
topic | mobile loans sex work kenya sexual health precarity debt |
url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2184484 |
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