Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / 218 leaves printed on single pages, preliminary pages i-xvii and numbered pages 1-200. Includes bibliography and list of tables. / Digitized at 600 dpi grayscale to pdf format (OCR), using a Bizhub 250 Konica Minolta Scanner. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Little is known about women's sexuality and even less about female adolescent sexuality. Sex researchers have neglected women, young women and specifically young
women of colour and of lower socio-economic status. These gaps in sex research have
to be addressed for at least two important reasons. In the first place an understanding of
female adolescent sexuality will enhance our understanding of female development in
general. More specifically, the prevalence of reproductive health problems like sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies among female adolescents
warrant urgent attention.
This study attempted to address the need for data on female sexuality by focusing on
coloured female adolescents in the Stellenbosch district. This target group has been
chosen because of the extent of adolescent reproductive health problems, specifically
the prevalence of teenage pregnancy, in the low-income coloured community. The
objective of the study was to gain an understanding of adolescent female sexuality in a
specific community. This goal was reached by collecting quantitative and qualitative data
about sexuality from a group of high school learners from a historically coloured
community in the Stellenbosch district. Structured questionnaires were used to elicit the
quantitative data. The quantitative data were analysed to determine the following (i) the
range of sexual behaviours, and (ii) the prevalence of high-risk behaviours that the
respondents engaged in. The quantitative results indicate that the research respondents
did not represent a sexually high-risk community. Sexual intercourse was limited to a
relatively small number of respondents. The sexual behaviour of these respondents, in
general, did not differ meaningfully from the sexual behaviour reported in other
adolescent communities. Open-ended interviews were used to generate the qualitative
data. Twenty-five sexually active girls were interviewed. The grounded theory method
was used to analyse the qualitative data and to explore the respondents' constructions of
sexuality. Lack of sexual agency and need for connection were identified as the core
categories in the interview data. The interview data indicated that the respondents had
limited sexual agency and the researcher argued that mothers and boyfriends, as agents
of the community, were prominent contributors to sexual disempowerment. The
use of the term "coloured" is controversial. It is viewed by some as derogatory, whilst others argue the
importance of a 'coloured' identity. Here and throughout the term "coloured" will be used descriptively. The researcher concluded that a new discourse of sexual agency for young women must be
developed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar bestaan min data oor vroulike seksualiteit en selfs nog minder oor vroulike
adolessente seksualiteit. In die verlede het seksnavorsers vroue, jong vroue en spesifiek
gekleurde en lae sosio-ekonomiese vroue verwaarloos. Hierdie tekortkominge in
seksnavorsing behoort om ten minste twee belangrike redes aangespreek te word.
Eerstens sal 'n begrip van vroulike adolessente seksualiteit ons begrip van vroulike
ontwikkeling in die algemeen bevorder. 'n Meer spesifieke rede is dat die die vookoms van
reproduktiewe gesondheidsprobleme soos seksueel-oordraagbare siektes en onbeplande
swangerskappe onder vroulike adolessente, dringende aandag vereis.
Hierdie studie het gepoog om die behoefte aan data oor seksuele gedrag in verskillende
Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskappe aan te spreek deur te fokus op "kleurling" vroulike
adolessente in die Stellenbosch-distrik. Hierdie groep is geselekteer vanwee die omvang
van adolessente reproduktiewe gesondheidsprobleme, veral die voorkoms van
tienerswangerskappe, in die "kleurling" gemeenskap. Die doel van die studie was om 'n
begrip te kry van adolessente vroulike seksualiteit in 'n spesifieke gemeenskap.
Kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data is versamel oor die seksualiteit van 'n groep
hoerskoolleerders wat woonagtig was in 'n histories "kleurling" gemeenskap in die
Stellenbosch-distrik. 'n Gestruktureerde vraelys is gebruik om die kwantitatiewe data in te
win. Die kwantitatiewe data is geanaliseer om (i) die reeks van seksuele gedrag wat by die
respondente voorkom en (ii) die voorkoms van hoe risiko seksuele gedrag onder die
respondente te bepaal. Die kwantitatiewe resultate het aangedui dat die
navorsingsrespondente nie 'n hoe risiko groep verteenwoordig nie. Seksuele gemeenskap
was beperk tot 'n relatiewe klein hoeveelheid respondente. In die algemeen, het die
seksuele gedrag van die respondente nie betekenisvol verskil van die seksuele gedrag
wat gerapporteer is vir ander adolessente populasies nie. Oop-einde onderhoude is
gebruik om die kwalitatiewe data te genereer. Onderhoude is gevoer met vyf en twintig
seksueel aktiewe meisies. Die "grounded theory" metode is gebruik om die kwalitatiewe
data te analiseer en die respondente se konstruksies van seksualiteit te eksploreer.
Gebrek aan seksuele agentskap en behoefte aan konneksie is geidentifiseer as die
kernkategoriee in die onderhoudsdata. Die onderhoudsdata het aangedui dat die
respondente oor beperkte seksuele agentskap beskik. Die navorser het aangevoer dat
moeders en mansvriende, as agente van die gemeenskap, 'n prominente bydrae tot
gebrek aan seksuele bemagtiging maak. Die navorser het tot die konklusie gekom dat 'n
nuwe diskoers van seksuele agentskap vir jong vroue ontwikkel behoort te word.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/15492 |
Date | 12 1900 |
Creators | Lesch, Elmien |
Contributors | Kruger, Lou-Marie, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. |
Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Language | en_ZA |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis |
Format | 200 p. |
Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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