| Summary: | Research Report submitted to the School of Public Health
University of Witwatersrand
In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Public Health
13 June 2016 === Introduction: Gender norms in our society shape attitudes towards sexuality, sex, sexual pleasure and sexual risk-taking and these play a crucial role in determining the overall sexual health and well-being of people, and especially women. They provide an overarching framework within which both women and men enact their sexuality. There is limited research from South Africa that has explored how women construct and enact their sexuality and the range of definitions and meanings they attach to sexuality and relationships. The research aimed to explore urban women’s perceptions about their sexuality, sexual identity, and sexual experiences and how they enact their sexuality in intimate relationships in Tshwane, South Africa. Methods: A total of 16 in-depth individual interviews were conducted drawing on a narrative approach with twelve, purposively selected, sexually active urban women aged 20-31 living in Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Data was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim and then imported into MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software. Transcripts were thematically categorized and analysed. Results: Urban women described their sexuality by labelling themselves as straight or bisexual. These descriptions narrowly equated their sexuality with sexual orientation, biological sex and gender identification. The women expressed their sexuality in various ways, such as dressing a certain way, verbally talking about their sexuality and through physical sexual interaction with an intimate partner. Factors such as family, friends, partner and mass media played a big influential role in how the women enacted their sexuality. While the women displayed positive construction of femininity through sexual subjectivity and agency, there were, however, limitations observed through the narrated experiences of unwanted sexual encounters. Unwanted sex was motivated by avoidance of negative consequences such as conflict or it was motivated by expectations of positive outcomes such as enhancing intimacy in the relationship.
Conclusions: The findings indicate that the women do have a certain amount of autonomy and agency, and they are willing to explore and experience their sexuality in but they are
still influenced by their partners and society. This influence shapes the women’s ability to enact their sexuality. While most of the women may have appeared to be sexually liberated are actually still in very fundamental ways controlling themselves and their sexual behaviour because of societal gendered roles and norms around sexuality. It is important to note that sexuality as much as it may be individually explored and experienced, is always influenced by relationships. === MB2016
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