MGS / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / One of the most pressing issues contributing to the persistence of gender inequality is the gendered division of domestic labour. Women still carry out more domestic labour than men. Housework is shared quite unequally among most married couples. Work performed directly in the service of families including housework and childcare is often unacknowledged all over the world because of cultural assumptions that a wife or mother should work in the privacy of the home. This study adds extra depth to the doing gender approach by testing whether or not couple negotiate specific conjugal and parent roles in terms of the division of household labour. This study therefore seeks to discuss numerous variables that impact the division of household labour between men and women. This study suggests that patriarchal power structures seem to take a powerful and effective impact on the South African marriage institution, especially in the black communities. The study was therefore conducted in Schoemansdal village situated in Nkomazi region, Mpumalanga Province. To explore issues behind gender division of labour within households. The study embarked on a qualitative research design to collect and analyze the data. Samples of married men and married women were selected in this study. The findings of the study are as follows: Women do a disproportionate share of the housework, even when the women work and the men don‟t, and even when the women want to share the housework more equally. When men aren‟t working, they don‟t see domestic labour as a means of contributing. In fact, they double down and do less of it, since it challenges their masculinity. But when men earn more, women who are almost all working too, feel obliged to contribute in some way to maintaining the household, generally by cooking and cleaning. / NRF

Bibliography: pages 184-192. / Within academia it is now accepted that personal experiences, as well social construction influence the way people perceive the world, and thus the research process and findings. Research, no matter how empirical, is not immune to personal quess work and conclusions. The same however, can be said for the establishment of museums and monuments which are meant to commemorate events, or epochs in the history of a nation. For in the establishment of the museum or monument the curators and researchers do choose those events which are deemed important enough as history to be preserved for prosperity. The following thesis is an investigation of the Afrikaans Taal museum, or Afrikaans Language Museum situated in Paarl, Cape Province. The museum aims to reproduce a history of the Afrikaans language, culminating in the eventual recognition of Afrikaans as an official language. In the thesis though, I argue that by choosing to represent certain events in the history of the language, and excluding others, the museum becomes a symbol of/for Afrikanerdom. If South Africa is to heal its wounds caused by Apartheid and the Armed Struggle, all monuments and museums established during the reign of the National Party will have to be investigated, and the feasibility of their existence called into question.

This dissertation is a critical examination of selected Tsonga novels by male and female writers. Positive and negative images of women by these authors are analysed, compared and evaluated from a feminist perspective. Emphasis is laid on the manner in which Tsonga writers portray female characters in a changing society and the extent to which the images of women in this literature represent the present day woman. Adherence to ideological, cultural and traditional values as well as the differences in portrayal of women by male and female writers is also investigated. Through a comparison of novels written by male and female writers it is established that because of patriarchy these writers differ markedly in their portrayal of female characters. In all the novels analysed, the sociol-cultural context influences the way in which these writers portray female characters. Male writers promote traditional values which female writers strive to discard by portraying female characters who predominantly undermine stereotypical cultural sex-roles. / African languages / M.A. (African languages)

In modern South African society, many women have overcome traditional notions of gender by becoming breadwinners in their homes and providing primary financial support for their families. Employing a Phenomenological Feminist viewpoint, this dissertation contextualises the meaning that South African female breadwinners (FBW) ascribe to their experiences within their lived environment, utilising data collected from in-depth, unstructured interviews with FBW from the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces. While taking into consideration their intersectional experiences of gender, race, as well as cultural and traditional societal pressures, this study represents these womens’ voices in order to understand how they make meaning of and negotiate their spaces and roles as breadwinners. In the course of interviews and analysis, the realities faced by FBW revealed experiences, individual and communal, shared and unique, which expose archaic divisions of gender within our society, which have been hiding behind constructions of reform advocating equality among the sexes. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper looks critically at particularly two harmful sexual practices most prevalent among the Zulu people in Kwazulu-Natal; virginity testing for girls, and the practice 'dry sex.' It is mostly the ripple effects of these practices, regarding the spread of mV/AIDS that is most alarming to medical science, leaving them no option other than to condemn this behaviour. This treatise however endeavours throughout to proffer understanding for the needs of a culture as diverse and unique as the Zulu people. Further, this paper often looks from an overarching African perspective, since despite African peoples' differences in terms of linguistics, geography, religiosity and general differences in daily run of the mill activities, there is a dominant socioreligious philosophy shared by all Africans. The, a, band c of virginity testing, and the resulting moral issues revolving around this practice are addressed. The main issues regarding the repercussions of virginity testing are discussed as well as the medical controversy involved in these issues. This will prove the limited effectiveness of this practice and the potential, yet serious and harmful ramifications it has for girls who are tested. In stark contrast to these girls, stands the girl who starts at a very tender age with the practice of 'dry sex', often encouraged and taught to her by female elders in order 'to please men'. This practice serves as a very powerful tool for commercial sex workers, venturing the streets and the truck driver stops, as it lures men into making her the preferred choice. So desperate are her socio-economic and cultural circumstances that she risks infection, and ultimate death, in order to comply with his need for unprotected and 'dry sex.' Numerous studies alert us to the fact that the drying agents used lead to lacerations of the vaginal walls, causing SID's, which in tum, exacerbate the spread of the disease. Zulu traditions and customs regarding sexuality and sexual relationships proffer essential insight into the Zulu people's sexual behaviour. In order to strike a balance between two diverse cultural groups, the West and African, a critical assessment of the West's own sexual history guides us to understand the West's 'sober' practice of monogamy is no less 'permissive' and 'promiscuous' than the African's practice of polygamy. The paper also investigates the corresponding differences in relation to indigenous knowledge systems versus science. African people discern the body's physiology and anatomy metaphorically and symbolically. We cannot simply gloss over these perceptions, enforcing scientific-based knowledge in our educational programmes, without consideration and accommodation for a very unique way of interpreting one's daily experiences and one's unique self. It is not only our biased discernment of indigenous knowledge that complicates the Aids pandemic considerably, but it is also enhanced by the burden of stereotyped gender-roles. Not only is a paradigm shift regarding the imbalance of power very much needed, we also need to understand that the inculcated anger some men in the Zulu culture fosters is a force to be reckoned with, as it displays psychological underpinnings of damage, signalling very clearly the need for therapeutic measures of healing. Conversely, the female in the Zulu culture has started to empower herself, but not always in terms of a beneficial end in itself. Similarly, it must alert us to the fine line separating the virgin-whore dichotomy, fuelled by her poverty-stricken and maledominated existence. It would appear that what we are fighting for is more than the preservation of life whilst engulfed by AIDS's scourge, but a global vision where the individual, or a whole community, with regard to mVIAIDS, is "self-reproducing, pragmatically selfsustainable and logically self-contained." (Bauman 1994: 188) / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die Zoeloe kultuur figureer daar veral twee tradisionele seksuele gedragspraktyke wat kommer wek by sommige Westerlinge, hier ter plaatse sowel as in die buiteland. Alhoewel hierdie praktyke as natuurlik, eksklusief en algemeen beskou word, is daar huidiglik stemme van protes wat waarsku dat die twee praktyke potentiele gevaar inhou vir die mens se gesondheid en geesteswelsyn. Die praktyke behels dat jong en weerlose meisies vanaf die ouderdom van ses jaar gereeld onderwerp word aan 'n vaginale toets om vas te stelofhulle nog 'n maagd is, en, die voorkeur van sommige mans om omgang te he met 'n vrou wat haar vagina op 'n 'onnatuurlike' wyse droog, hard en styf hou met die oog op 'n meer bevredigende seksuele ervaring vir die man. Baie vroue geniet ook hierdie ervaring. Die mediese wetenskap is veral bekommerd oor die moontlike verband tussen die nadelige repurkussies van die twee praktyke en die vinnige verspreiding van MIVMGS en pleit derhalwe dat daarmee weggedoen word. Die praktiseerders van eersgenoemde praktyk word byvoorbeeld gewaarsku dat dit mag lei tot gevalle van verkragting, anale seks asook kindermishandeling, terwyl laasgenoemde praktyk veral twee hoe risiko-groepe ten opsigte van die VIGSpandemie ten prooi val; die kommersiele sekswerkers in Kwazulu-Natal wat die praktyk gebruik as wapentoerusting, en die land se vragmotorbestuurders wat hierdeur verlei en aangemoedig word. Hierdie vorm van seksuele omgang ondermyn egter nie net kondoomgebruik nie. Studies het bewys dat die gebruik van 'n vaginale uitdrogingsmiddel daartoe kan lei dat die wande van die vagina mag skeur. Beide groepe loop derhalwe nie alleenlik die risiko om 'n seksueeloordraagbare siekte op te doen nie, maar om ook 'n VIGS-slagoffer te word. Terwyl die beperkte effektiwiteit van die twee praktyke deurkam word, poog die verhandeling om deurgaans 'n duidelike ingeboude begrip te handhaaf vir die unieke en eiesoortige karakter van die Zoeloe kultuur. Dit redeneer dat beide groepe, Afrikaboorlinge en Westerlinge, moet probeer verhoed om te polariseer en illustreer dat diverse kultuurgroepe almal, vanuit 'n kultuurhistories perspektief, meerdere of mindere tekens van promiskuiteit en permissiwiteit ten opsigte van seksualiteit toon. Dit spreek vanself dat die twee praktyke ondersoek moet word teen die agtergrond van die Zoeloe's se inheemse kennis met inbegrip van die wyse waarop die menslike fisiologie en anatomie metafories en simbolies verklaar word. Die digotomie wat bestaan tussen inheemse kennis en wetenskap vra dat ons boodskappe gekommunikeer moet word op 'n wyse wat beide gesigspunte konsolideer. Uiteraard kompliseer die stereotipering van geslagsrolle in die Zoeloe bevolking die VIGS-pandemie aansienlik. Dit dra in 'n groot mate daartoe by dat die VIGSpandemie nie suiwer as 'n biomediese probleem manifesteer nie, maar dat ander psigo-sosiale faktore in berekening gebring moet word. Dit werk byvoorbeeld 'n ongebalanseerde magsposisie in die hand wat sommige Zoeloe mans se sielkundige worsteling met hul diepgewortelde, polities geinspireerde woede belig en dui op sommige kontemporere Zoeloe vrouens se toenemende geneigdheid om seks aan te bied in ruil vir geld. Sy doen dit om sodoende haarself van die juk van die Zoeloe man se mag oor haar en haar neerdrukkende sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede te bevry. Die verhandeling beweeg dikwels buite sy grense en fokus nie net bloot op die gedrag van die Zoeloe bevolking nie, maar boorlinge van Afrika in die algemeen. Hierdie oorhoofse Afrika-perspektief vind regverdigingsgronde in die lig van die feit dat boorlinge van Afrika saamgesnoer word deur 'n oorheersende sosio-religieuse filosofie, desnieteenstaande die feit dat daar merkbare verskille voorkom ten opsigte van linguistiek, geografie, religieusheid en ander wat betref hul daaglikse gebruike en omgang.

In modern South African society, many women have overcome traditional notions of gender by becoming breadwinners in their homes and providing primary financial support for their families. Employing a Phenomenological Feminist viewpoint, this dissertation contextualises the meaning that South African female breadwinners (FBW) ascribe to their experiences within their lived environment, utilising data collected from in-depth, unstructured interviews with FBW from the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces. While taking into consideration their intersectional experiences of gender, race, as well as cultural and traditional societal pressures, this study represents these womens’ voices in order to understand how they make meaning of and negotiate their spaces and roles as breadwinners. In the course of interviews and analysis, the realities faced by FBW revealed experiences, individual and communal, shared and unique, which expose archaic divisions of gender within our society, which have been hiding behind constructions of reform advocating equality among the sexes. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

Thesis (MPhil (Industrial Psychology. Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The AIDS epidemic presently engulfing South Africa is mostly based on heterosexual transmission. This paper discusses the male role in African culture in the HIV and AIDS context. Issues facing African women, domestic violence in particular, remain a pervasive problem. Women have not yet reached a level of equality and are still being dominated by their male partners. Women’s subordination can be directly linked to the increasing number of women becoming infected with HIV/AIDS, especially within the African cultural context. Culture plays a vital role in determining the level of health of the individual, the family and the community. This is particularly relevant in the context of Africa, where the values of extended family and community significantly influence the behaviour of the individual. The behaviour of the individual in relation to family and community is one major cultural factor that has implications for sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts. As the impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa remains unabated, a culture-centred approach to prevention, care and support is increasingly desirable as a critical strategy. The focus of prevention of the heterosexual AIDS epidemic has been on women. The role of men in sexual decision-making has not been emphasized enough in AIDS prevention approaches. As a result, the heterosexual epidemic for women continues unabated because of the lack of attention to the behaviour of male sex partners. Discussion focuses on the cultural and contemporary sexual culture as shaping factors in the enactment of high-risk sexual behaviour. There are numerous social, political, cultural and economic factors affecting the HIV pandemic in the SA region. The main ones are: low status of women and male dominance in sexual and economic relations; sexual abuse (of particularly young girls); historic and current separation of families resulting from the migrant labour system which resulted in multiple sexual partners; high use of sex workers due to single-sex quarters at the workplace; cultural resistance to the use of condoms; high rates of other STD’s; and high levels of poverty and other inequalities such as health access and education. Stigma about HIV is also a barrier to reaching the most vulnerable, including those already infected. The paper draws the conclusion that discrimination against women, coupled with male dominance in all aspects of social structures; polygamous marriages were prescribed and supervised by maledominated social structures has increased the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the African cultural context. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die HIV/Vigs pandemie wat tans Suid Afrika oorweldig is meestal die gevolg van heteroseksuele oordrag. Hierdie verhandeling bespreek die manlike rol in die Afrika kultuur in die konteks van MIV en Vigs. Aspekte wat die Afrika vroue in die gesig staar in terme van gesinsgeweld bly `n aanhoudende probleem. Vroue word steeds deur hul manlike maats gedomineer word en dus steeds nie `n vlak van gelykheid bereik het nie. Die onderdrukking van vroue kan direk gekoppel word aan die toenemende aantal vroue wat met MIV/Vigs geïnfekteer word – veral in die Afrika konteks. Kultuur speel ʼn kritieke rol in die bepaling van die gesondheidsvlak van die individu, gesin en gemeenskap. Dit is besonder relevant in die Afrika konteks, waar die waardes van `n uitgebreide gesin en gemeenskap ʼn enorme invloed het op die optrede van `n individu. Hierdie optrede in verhouding tot die gesin en gemeenskap is `n geweldige factor wat implikasies het op seksuele gedrag en op pogings tot voorkoming en beheer van MIV/Vigs. Terwyl die impak van MIV/Vigs in Suid Afrika ongesteurd voortstu, word `n kultuur gesentreerde benadering tot voorkoming, versorging en ondersteuning toenemend nodig as `n kritieke strategie. Die fokus op die voorkoming van die heteroseksuele Vigs pandemie was tot nou toe op vroue. Die rol van mans in seksuele besluitneming was tot dusvêr nie voldoende beklemtoon in Vigs voorkomende benaderings nie. Die gevolg is dat die heteroseksuele Vigs pandemie vir vroue ongesteurd voortduur weens die gebrek aan aandag op die gedrag van manlike seksmaats. Bespreking fokus op die kulturele en kontemporêre seksuele kultuur as vormende faktore in die uitvoer van hoë risiko seksuele gedrag. Daar is verskeie sosiale, politieke, kulturele en ekonomiese faktore wat die MIV/Vigs pandemie in die streek beïnvloed. Die belangrikstes is: lae status van vroue; manlike dominasie in seksuele en ekonomiese verhoudings; seksuele mishandeling – veral van jong meisies; historiese en huidige skeiding van gesinne voortspruitend uit die stelsel van trekarbeid – wat aanleiding gegee het tot `n verskeidenheid van seksuele maats; die hoë voorkoms van sekswerkers agv enkelgeslag woonkwartiere by die werksplek; kulturele weerstand teen die gebruik van kondome; hoë voorkoms van seksueel oordraagbare siektes; hoë vlakke van armoede en ander ongelykhede soos toegang tot gesondheidsdienste en onderwys. Die stigma van MIV/Vigs is ook `n hindernis in die bereiking van die mees kwesbare, insluitend die wat geïnfekteer is. Hierdie verhandeling maak die gevolgtrekking dat diskriminasie teen vroue, gekoppel met manlike dominasie in alle aspekte van sosiale strukture; poligamiese huwelike wat voorgeskryf word en onder toesig is van manlik gedomineerde sosiale strukture, die voorkoms van MIV/Vigs in die Afrika kulturele konteks verhoog het.

This dissertation is a critical examination of selected Tsonga novels by male and female writers. Positive and negative images of women by these authors are analysed, compared and evaluated from a feminist perspective. Emphasis is laid on the manner in which Tsonga writers portray female characters in a changing society and the extent to which the images of women in this literature represent the present day woman. Adherence to ideological, cultural and traditional values as well as the differences in portrayal of women by male and female writers is also investigated. Through a comparison of novels written by male and female writers it is established that because of patriarchy these writers differ markedly in their portrayal of female characters. In all the novels analysed, the sociol-cultural context influences the way in which these writers portray female characters. Male writers promote traditional values which female writers strive to discard by portraying female characters who predominantly undermine stereotypical cultural sex-roles. / African languages / M.A. (African languages)

This thesis examines the topic of the position of women in rural development. This topic has become the focus of extensive international debate at theoretical and policy levels, but for historical reasons remains relatively undeveloped in South Africa. After reviewing a number of contemporary approaches, the thesis argues in favour of the "Gender and Development" approach, and applies this to a case study of the gender division of labour in a rural black community in South Africa. Chapter one reviews the variants of the "Women in Development" (WID) approaches, as well as the claims of "Global Feminism". It is argued that, although Global Feminism began as a critique of WID approaches, it is in fact similar in many respects to the contemporary "empowerment" focus within the WID tradition. Although useful, these approaches are not sufficiently explicit in their theorizing of gender relations in the context of development. Chapter 2 sets out the key elements of the "Gender and Development" approach, which emphasises the complexity of the issue of women's interests, and warns against assuming a commonality of interests amongst all women. Instead, the GAD approach demands a detailed investigation of socially constructed gender relations in specific communities, with a special focus on the gender division of labour. For GAD theorists such analysis is a requirement of development planning which seeks to advance the position of women. Chapter 3 spells out the methodological implications of the GAD approach, and develops a specific research design, influenced by GAD as well as feminist methodology, for the investigation of the gender-specific needs of women in Merino Walk, a rural black community. Chapter 4 presents a brief overview of the general context of rural women in Southern Africa, and a specific history of the Merino Walk community. Chapter 5 presents the results of the research. In the context of this thesis, the results are presented essentially as an illustration of the application of the GAD principles to a specific South African example. The conclusion draws out some of the issues which emerge from the research.

MGS / Institute for Youth and Gender Studies