Masculinity, sexuality and vulnerability in ‘working’ with young men in South African contexts: ‘you feel like a fool and an idiot … a loser’

Abstract

South Africa has seen a rapid increase in scholarship and programmatic interventions focusing on gender and sexuality, and more recently on boys, men and masculinities. In this paper, we argue that a deterministic discourse on men's sexuality and masculinity in general is inherent in many current understandings of adolescent male sexuality, which tend to assume that young women are vulnerable and powerless and young men are sexually powerful and inevitably also the perpetrators of sexual violence. Framed within a feminist, social constructionist the oretical perspective, the current research looked at how the masculinity and sexuality of South African young men is constructed, challenged or maintained. Focus groups were conducted with young men between the ages of 15 and 20 years from five different schools in two regions of South Africa, the Western and Eastern Cape. Data were analysed using Gilligan's listening guide method. Findings suggest that participants in this study have internalised the notion of themselves as dangerous, but were also exploring other possible ways of being male and being sexual, demonstrating more complex experiences of manhood. We argue for the importance of documenting and highlighting the precariousness, vulnerability and uncertainty of young men in scholarly and programmatic work on masculinities.

Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa

“…Girls and young women tolerate condom refusal and sexual concurrency to maintain relationships with male sexual partners who supported them materially (Toska, Cluver, Hodes, et al, 2015). However, critics note that dominant discourses around gender inequalities and the ability of women and girls to protect themselves can be reductionist, and there is a need for more nuanced understandings of the relationships between HIV prevention and gender inequalities, including how they articulate with poverty and other factors (Govender, 2011; Jewkes & Morrell, 2012; Shefer, Kruger, & Schepers, 2015). …”

Gender norms about romantic relationships and sexual experiences among very young male adolescents in Korogocho slum in Kenya

“…Gender norms, which are widely understood to refer to social expectations of appropriate roles and behaviors for males and females (Ratele 2015;Ridgeway and Correll 2004;Ryle 2011), are increasingly being recognized as drivers of health and well-being. The scripts for appropriate behavior based on one's sex are informed by collective beliefs about what most people do (descriptive norms), perceptions of what people ought to do (injunctive norms) and observing what popular people do (cohesive norms) (Addis and Mahalik 2003).…”

“…The scripts for appropriate behavior based on one's sex are informed by collective beliefs about what most people do (descriptive norms), perceptions of what people ought to do (injunctive norms) and observing what popular people do (cohesive norms) (Addis and Mahalik 2003). While there are a number of factors contributing to gender inequalities (Kågesten et al 2016), gender theorists show that stereotypical gender norms promote inequalities between men and women (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005;Ridgeway and Correll 2004;Ryle 2011). These gender inequalities negatively influence sexual and reproductive health behaviors resulting in sexual coercion and abuse, intimate partner violence, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV (Firestone et al 2003;Nyamhanga and Frumence 2014), issues that impact on an individual's well-being across the life course.…”

“…While gendered norms are learned and enacted throughout the life course (Ridgeway and Correll 2004;Ryle 2011), it is in early adolescence-the period between 10 and 14 years-that intensification of gender learning takes place (Hill and Lynch 1983;Pettitt 2004). The intensification of gender learning is attributed to developmental changes taking place in early adolescence, including pubertal maturation and interest in romantic relationships (Pettitt 2004).…”

Engaging with men and masculinities in fragile and conflict-affected states

“…Men going through processes of change can also often face resistance, ridicule and sanction from their peers, family members, partners, and broader community. This contributes to the difficulty of acting more positively as a man, and increases the risk of falling back to problematic masculine behaviour (see for example Shefer, Kruger and Schepers, 2015;Dworkin, Fleming and Colvin, 2015;Myrtinnen, 2014).…”