As youth in South African are affected by HIV/AIDS, risk reduction research has higWighted the needs of young people for information about sex, sexuality and risk. South African research has looked at young people's sources of sex information and their preferred sources. This thesis examines communication about sex with young people in their families as a protective factor in risk resilience and general problem-solving skills. The study explores how young Zulu women between the ages of 14-15 years understand communication about sex in their families, how and with whom sex is talked about, and how the young women understand the cultural 'taboo' on talking about sex in their families. This study employs an interpretive thematic analysis in analysing semi-structured interviews with eight rural district Zulu-speaking young women. The interview schedule drew on themes related to mother-daughter communication about sex from an American study by Brock and Jennings. The girls felt that there was minimal communication about sex within their families, and this reflected negative verbal and non-verbal messages. The girls wished that their biological parents could communicate with them about sexual issues freely and comfortably, as they would like to do with their own children when they grow up.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.