June 2016
Submitted to the faculty of Humanities
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology by Dissertation only. / Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most prevalent form of violence experienced by women in South Africa. It is estimated that 31.8% of young men aged 15-26 years perpetrate sexual and physical violence against their intimate partner. Studies with women also report high incidents of IPV victimisation from adolescents. The subtle and nuanced social dynamics of IPV are less understood owing to little qualitative research on IPV with youth in Black South African townships.
Research aim and objectives: This study explored how young people aged 15-20 years from Soweto, Johannesburg perceive and experience IPV. The proposed objectives were: To obtain young people’s views on IPV, to explore young people’s understandings of their experiences of IPV, and to analyse discourses of IPV.
Research methods: Thirteen participants were recruited through snowballing from different townships in Soweto including Pimville as an entry point. In-depth, face-to-face and semi-structured interviews were used to collect audio-recorded data. Thematic Analysis (TA) process assisted to group themes together to enable the researcher to execute the discourse analysis. Discourse analysis was used to analyse the data. To begin the analysis the researcher read each transcript carefully to achieve data immersion. The researcher re-read the transcripts with the aim of coding. The researcher analysed each transcript manually. The supervisor and researcher then went through the codes and agreed on codes to develop the codebook that answer the research aim and objectives. For this study data were analysed separately by gender because the researcher wanted to compare young men and women’s similarities and differences about their understanding of IPV and be able to understand social construction of IPV.
Findings: The research contributed to fill a knowledge gap on perceptions and experiences of IPV among young people from a black South African township. Participants reported direct and indirect experiences of IPV. Young men and women perceived violence differently. Men were mostly perpetrators and women the victims. Traditional and cultural beliefs and values of femininity and masculinity seemed to precipitate violence in relationships, as men and women are modelled and ascribed gender roles by their parents and society. Alcohol and drug abuse contribute towards violence in relationships. In this study young people’s narratives reported similar findings where men after drinking used violence towards their partners. Victim assistance from onlookers depended on the relationship with the victims. Women with multiple partners or women who confront their partner about their infidelity were reported to fuel violence.
Discussions: This study indicated that young people are exposed to violent behaviour as it was reportedly common to see boyfriends beating their girlfriends either publicly or privately. In addition, young people’s exposure to violence was either directly or indirectly. Young people also reported women as victims of violence and men as perpetrators of violence. This was evident as few participants themselves report exposure to partner violence. Through exposure to violence during childhood, young people witness and learn the same patriarchal behaviour that their fathers use when chastising their mothers. Men, who grew up having been exposed to their fathers using violence to discipline their partners, might also use violence in their own relationships. These behaviours legitimise the use of violence against women in relationships. It is possible that young people hold on to the behaviour while transitioning into adulthood. The violent behaviour is precipitated by the construction of hegemonic masculinity. Young people
recognised that violence against women is an unacceptable behaviour and in order to eliminate IPV the constructed harmful ideas of masculinity will have to be challenged.
Recommendations: Young people should be educated on reproductive health, and gender-based violence and intimate partner violence. The implementation of youth friendly facilities by department of health that assist young people in violent relationships by empowering them with education about violence. Encouragement of young people to speak about their violent experiences to eliminate perceptions of IPV as a private matter. Modelling of culture and traditions beliefs by parents and society that promote gender quality and awareness of violence through school curriculums. Young people should be educated about implications of substance use such: contracting HIV and sexual transmitted infections related diseases, unplanned pregnancy and gender based violence. Implementation of police empowerment programmes that deals with intimate partner violence.
Conclusions: This study evidently shows that young people are aware of IPV happening amongst them. Young people indicated that IPV is not acceptable and distanced themselves from the behaviour. This study contributed an understanding of how young black people from the townships perceived and experienced IPV.
Key words: Qualitative research design, discourse, gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, Soweto Johannesburg, townships, young people, dating violence, social learning theory, patriarchy, socially constructed, adolescence, perpetration and victimisation of intimate partner violence, violence against women, gender roles, inter-personal violence, intimate relationships.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/20707 |
| Date | 26 July 2016 |
| Creators | Makongoza, Matamela Fulufhelo Beatrice |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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