Doctoral Degrees (Political Science)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Political Science) by browse.metadata.advisor "Fourie, P. P."

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    Menstrual politics in the Dwarsrivier Valley, South Africa: a mixed-methods exploration
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Kotze, Landi; Fourie, P. P.; Steenekamp, C. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Experiencing the biological phenomenon of menstruation is personal, but the menstrual experience is political. Social determinants of health may hinder the capability of women to navigate the menstrual experience in a way that does not compromise their wellbeing. Relevant to the South African context, this is conceptualized as the capability to achieve sanitary dignity. The realm of menstrual politics presents opportunities through which to facilitate this capability. However, to promote the wellbeing of menstruating women through political incentives, it is necessary to gather empirical evidence on the menstrual experience. Consequently, the capability of women to achieve sanitary dignity is explored in the South African context of the Dwarsrivier Valley. The Dwarsrivier Valley is located in the Western Cape province, where no previous empirical research on the menstrual experience has been conducted, nor has any policy or legislation relevant to menstruation been implemented. The Sanitary Dignity Framework was published by the South African Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, as a framework for implementation of the sanitary dignity campaign and related development programmes. The framework presents a conceptualization of sanitary dignity in South Africa, requirements for the achievement of sanitary dignity, and suggested guidelines for the implementation of initiatives to improve the sanitary dignity of specifically indigent women. Through exploring the concepts that underpin the Sanitary Dignity Framework, this study presents empirical evidence to inform policy and the development of implementation plans for the promotion of sanitary dignity, as well as the application of the Sanitary Dignity Framework, in the Western Cape. The findings convey an objective insight into the menstrual experience in the light of a radical feminist perspective. In addition to the Sanitary Dignity Framework and a radical feminist lens, the study employs Social Determinants of Health and the Capabilities Approach as theoretical perspectives. The novel theoretical concept of “the capability to achieve sanitary dignity” is constructed through integrating the requirements for the achievement of sanitary dignity, and the Capabilities Approach. This conceptualisation provides an analytical tool through which to investigate the wellbeing of menstruating women. A mixed-methods approach to this study facilitates a comprehensive exploration of the factors that hinder and/or facilitate the capability of women in the Dwarsrivier Valley to achieve sanitary dignity. During the first, quantitative research phase, 100 surveys were completed at a research station in the Dwarsrivier Valley. Factors that hinder and/or facilitate the capability of these women to achieve sanitary dignity were then explored by means of statistical analysis. This was followed by the qualitative research phase, during which 10 in-depth interviews were conducted at the same research station with women who also had participated in the quantitative research phase. A thematic analysis of the qualitative findings ascertained the relevant factors that hinder and/or facilitate the capability of women in the Dwarsrivier Valley to achieve sanitary dignity. Age, gender and a lack of knowledge about menstruation, hinder their capability to achieve sanitary dignity. These factors should be focal concerns of initiatives to improve the menstrual experience. The capability of women to achieve sanitary dignity in the Dwarsrivier Valley is facilitated through: education, values, and policy. An examination of these factors illuminates the pathways through which the menstrual experience can be improved efficiently and effectively.