Amakhosi’s construction of masculinity and the implications for sexual risk behaviours.

Abstract

The South African province the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, location of this study, rural areas are immersed by different forms of cultural masculine power, gender inequality, and sexual pressures. From a young age, boys and girls are modelled to conform under certain norms, with boys assuming masculine, and girls assuming feminine identities. Social norms define a male to be always superior to a female, thus positioning females as inferior to men. Among young people, sexual risks such as engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse may be driven by the definition of how culture sees them. This research study was guided the question of how masculinity and manhood as constructed by Zulu culture implicate/not implicate sexual risk behaviours. Hollway (1984) and Willig’s (1994) discourses were used in this qualitative research study to examine how masculinity is constructed in Zulu culture, and how such construction influences risky sexual behaviours. Data was collected through individual interviews with seven chiefs. The interviewed Chiefs prioritized the importance of male power and the importance of Zulu men being respected in the society. The interviewed Chiefs seemed to position themselves in the male sex drive discourse and have-hold discourse.