Several studies suggest that sexual assaults are experienced differently by males than by
females. In dominant discourses in which sexual perpetration is associated with males and
sexual victimisation with females, males are expected to practice and exhibit hegemonic
masculinity. This gendered perception of sexual assaults means that female perpetration of
male child sexual abuse often goes unrecognised and that male perpetration is particularly
problematic for male victims. Using a feminist critical paradigm and critical discourse analysis
as a research design, this study explored how a sample of male victims in Zimbabwe
experienced sexual abuse as children and how they were affected by it. The study, further,
explored how the male victims of childhood sexual abuse sought to reconcile the experience
of victimisation with their identity as males. Nine men participated in the study. The sample
was, due to the sensitive nature of the topic, purposively selected using letters describing the
nature of the study and inviting participation. The letters were distributed through diverse
channels, including a newspaper with national coverage. Most participants reported
experiences of female perpetrated abuse. The study found that, in keeping with dominant
discourses of hegemonic masculinity, the participants struggled to construct themselves as
victims. Many of the participants were considerably and negatively affected by having been
sexually abused. Participants utilised a variety of methods to come to terms with the fact that
they were males who had been victimised. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26752 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Marufu, Tapiwa Dadirai |
| Contributors | Nel, Juan Adriaan |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (xi, 226 leaves) : illustration, graphs (some in color), application/pdf |
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