Browsing by Subject "Masculinity"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Open Access
    Carework and caring: A path to gender equitable practices among men in South Africa?
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2011) Morrell, Robert; Jewkes, Rachel
    BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between men who engage in carework and commitment to gender equity. The context of the study was that gender inequitable masculinities create vulnerability for men and women to HIV and other health concerns. Interventions are being developed to work with masculinity and to 'change men'. Researchers now face a challenge of identifying change in men, especially in domains of their lives beyond relations with women. Engagement in carework is one suggested indicator of more gender equitable practice. METHODS: A qualitative approach was used. 20 men in three South African locations (Durban, Pretoria/Johannesburg, Mthatha) who were identified as engaging in carework were interviewed. The men came from different backgrounds and varied in terms of age, race and socio-economic status. A semi-structured approach was used in the interviews. RESULTS: Men were engaged in different forms of carework and their motivations to be involved differed. Some men did carework out of necessity. Poverty, associated with illness in the family and a lack of resources propelled some men into carework. Other men saw carework as part of a commitment to making a better world. 'Care' interpreted as a functional activity was not enough to either create or signify support for gender equity. Only when care had an emotional resonance did it relate to gender equity commitment. CONCLUSIONS: Engagement in carework precipitated a process of identity and value transformation in some men suggesting that support for carework still deserves to be a goal of interventions to 'change men'. Changing the gender of carework contributes to a more equitable gender division of labour and challenges gender stereotypes. Interventions that promote caring also advance gender equity.
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    Open Access
    The hurt business: Psychological aspects of boxing
    (University of Stellenbosch, 2011) Smit, Carryn; Louw, Johann
    Ten boxers were interviewed individually to explore how they perceived the nature of aggression in the ring and the mental skills they employed in their sport. The interview data were subjected to thematic analysis, which elicited five dominant themes: aggression and how to deal with it; control of the arousal, especially anger that comes with the territory of the sport; and the positive aspects of discipline over mind and body that is required of boxers. A final observation relates to a relative absence in these interviews. Boxers did not speak explicitly about masculinity as a factor in the sport, unless prompted.
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    Open Access
    Precarious Employment and Fathering Among Men in Higher Education Institutions
    (2021) Modubi, Ngoakwana Nkakga; Malinga, Mandisa
    There has been an increase in literature involving female academic staff on precarious employment contracts and how they balance their work and family lives. However, research involving male academic staff on insecure contracts with children is limited, particularly within the South African context. My thesis addressed this gap by exploring how precariously employed men in higher education institutions in Cape Town understand the concepts of fatherhood, their own practices of fathering, and what influence their employment has on their involvement with their children. Given that precarious employment in higher education institutions is a salient problem in South Africa, this study investigated the ways in which such employment conditions in higher education shape fathering practices. This study was informed by a broader study, which aimed to understand (a) how men in precarious employment in the formal and informal employment sectors define fatherhood, (b) what practices they associate with fathering, and (c) how, if at all, their employment conditions shape their fathering practices. I conducted a qualitative research study using purposive and snowball sampling methods to procure a sample of seven men aged 34 to 57 years old. Data was collected through individual, semi-structured interviews. I used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to understand the fathers' experiences. Findings from the study show that fatherhood is constructed through the participants' ability to provide for their families and be responsible role models to their children. Having a good relationship with their children is important for the men, and they establish these relationships by spending time with their children. The findings also show that participants perceived HEIs as exploitative, relying on PhD students who are in the process of establishing their academic careers for teaching purposes. The income received by the men on these non-permanent contracts is not sufficient for them to provide for themselves and their families, and they therefore work multiple jobs so that they can receive a better income. The fathers' experiences also show that precarious employment conditions in higher education institutions enable some fathers to be involved in their children's care due to flexibility in their working hours. However, for some of the men, father and child co-residence was prohibited by migration, resulting in reduced contact with their children.
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    Sexual harassment of women in the South African Navy
    (2009) Van Wijk, Charles; Finchilescu, Gillian; Tredoux, Colin
    We report on a study that investigated sexual harassment within the South African Navy. We firstly used a survey to examine the prevalence of sexual harassment in the shore-based fleet, just prior to the gender integration of naval ships, and found evidence of widespread sexual harassment. Secondly, we used interviews and focus groups to examine the experiences of sexual harassment on ships one year after gender integration, and found a relative absence of sexual harassment. A number of contributing factors are considered (e.g. methodological issues, organisational factors, contextual constructions of masculinity), before informal mechanisms of behaviour regulation (e.g. the enactment of informal discipline, and sailors' use of metaphors) are introduced as mechanisms to understand the differences between the survey and interview findings. We argue that using divergent methodological approaches would lead to a more nuanced understanding of the experiences around sexual harassment on navy ships.