Selling Sex in Kenya
Gendered Agency under Neoliberalism

A study of gendered agency under neoliberal structures, seen through the life stories and narratives of Kenyan sex workers.

Egl? ?esnulyt? (Author)

9781108713849, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 October 2021

214 pages
23 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.32 kg

'This excellent analysis of how female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya, experience and challenge socio-economic realities provides critical insight into their lives; how they exercise agency in 'tight corners'; and the gendered impact of neo-liberal practice and discourse. A must read for anyone interested in gender, everyday political economy or neoliberalism.' Gabrielle Lynch, University of Warwick

As Kenyan women traditionally have fewer formal employment opportunities, often occupying lower-paid jobs in the informal sector, the experiences of women who earn money in unorthodox ways can offer revealing insights into the agency of women and its limits. Grounded in the narratives and life stories of women selling sex in Kenya, Egl? ?esnulyt? reveals the range of gendered and gendering effects that neoliberal policies have on everyday socio-political realities. By contextualising and historicising contemporary debates in the field, this important interdisciplinary study explores the societal structures that neo-liberal narratives and reforms influence, their gendered effects, and the extent to which individuals must internalise neoliberal economic logics in order to make or improve their living. In so doing, ?esnulyt? counters the prevailing male-dominated studies in political science to place women, and female-based narratives at the forefront.

1. Introduction
2. Neo-liberal transformations and gender in Kenya
3. Gendered livelihoods and 'bargaining with patriarchy'
4. Selling sex in Mombasa
5. Dreams and strategies of women selling sex
6. A vicious circle: work-related dangers and obstacles for exiting sex work
7. Connecting global and local: Kenyan state, NGOs and the sex worker movement
8. Conclusions: gendered limits of agency in a neo-liberal world.

Subject Areas: Gender & the law [LAQG], Central government policies [JPQB], Politics & government [JP], Gender studies: women [JFSJ1], Ethical issues: prostitution & sex industry [JFMX], African history [HBJH]