Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Uganda are at risk of early sexual debut, unwanted pregnancy, violence, and disproportionally high HIV infection rates, driven in part by transactional sex. This paper examines the extent to which AGYW’s participation in transactional sex is perceived to be coerced through focus group discussions andin-depth interviews While AGYW did not necessarily use the language of coercion, their narratives describe a number of coercive aspects in their relationships.