Theoretical perspectives on female sexual behaviour in Africa: a review and conceptual model.

A major drawback of research on sexual behaviour in Africa is the separation between theories and empirical work. This paper reviews three major theoretical perspectives on female sexual behaviour in Africa, and constructs a conceptual framework in which various hypotheses deriving from these theories can be empirically tested. This framework, which draws from Coleman's model of social capital, shows the linkages between sexual behaviour and key factors of (1) patrilineal bias, (2) rational adaptation, and (3) social disorganisation theories. It is suggested that, as a dynamic process, sexual activity and its key covariates must be measured and analysed within event history models.