Browsing by Author "Janine Markram"

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    A qualitative study exploring female university students’ experiences of sexual harassment
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) Janine Markram; Van Schalkwyk, Samantha; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Within the South African context, gender violence and sexual harassment have become ‘normalised’ to the extent that many women2 live in fear of being violated in many different ways. Many accounts of sexual harassment shed light on what the victim has done to initiate the harassment and what they could have done to prevent it from occurring. This has created a culture of victim-blaming where the victims experience repeated victimisation. There is a serious need to address the complex layers of women’s experiences. The aim of this thesis is to explore female Stellenbosch University postgraduate students’ lived experiences of sexual harassment that occur on campus. Drawing on a social constructionist approach and critical discourse analysis, this study sought to explore women’s narratives of their experiences of sexual harassment on the Stellenbosch University campus. This allowed for the understanding of their experiences within the social and patriarchal context, as well as an examination of some of the discourses surrounding femininity and sexual harassment. Data was collected through the use of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants. These female students were interviewed because they self-identified as having experienced sexual harassment on campus. Critical discourse analysis was used to identify underlying discourses and meanings based on the language the students used. Three broad themes emerged from the narratives, namely ‘the nature of sexual harassment’, ‘(not) naming sexual harassment’ and ‘confronting patriarchal discourses and resisting victimhood’. The findings show that the participants experienced sexual harassment within lecture halls, residences, and other social spaces throughout the university. While reflecting on this analysis, this study argues that sexual harassment should be understood within the broader social and patriarchal context that challenges and/or makes it difficult for women to speak about experiencing sexual harassment. In particular, the social constructionist and feminist theoretical lenses provide insight into the power relations that fuel sexual harassment, and the persistence of such experiences within university contexts. The findings show narrations of shame, fear, and doubt, as well as how the participants identify themselves as victims of the patriarchal system. The participants’ narrations identified male students and older men (ground staff, workers, security guards and those not affiliated with the university) as the perpetrators of sexual harassment. Discourse of “weak women”, men’s sense of entitlement to women’s bodies, the male sexual drive, and discourses of the “good woman” were among those drawn on by the participants when describing their experiences. Such discourses provide insight into the ways in which participants make sense of their experiences by drawing on available socio-cultural discursive resources. The participants’ narrations illuminated the complexities around naming/labelling their experiences as sexual harassment and the importance of their experiences, and drew on dominant discourses and cultural meanings to position themselves in different ways. Finally, the participants provided agentic narrations through which they criticised and challenged patriarchy, patriarchal discourses, and support structures on campus. Keywords: sexual harassment; patriarchy; South African university; social constructionism; critical discourse analysis; discourse; power relations; agency; victimhood