A qualitative study exploring female university students’ experiences of sexual harassment
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van Schalkwyk, Samantha | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Janine Markram | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-11-27T13:53:10Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-01-31T19:43:22Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-11-27T13:53:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-01-31T19:43:22Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | 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 | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse konteks het geslagsgeweld en seksuele teistering 'genormaliseer' geword tot ‘n mate waar baie vroue3 in vrees leef om op baie verskeie maniere geskend te word. Baie berigte oor seksuele teistering werp lig op wat die slagoffer gedoen het om die teistering te inisieer en wat hulle kon gedoen het om te voorkom dat dit plaasvind. Dit het 'n kultuur van blaam op slagoffer geskep waar die slagoffers herhaalde viktimisasie ervaar. Daar is 'n ernstige behoefte om die ingewikkelde lae van vroue se ervarings aan te spreek. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om vroulike nagraadse studente van die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) se ervarings van seksuele teistering wat op die kampus voorkom, te ondersoek. Met behulp van 'n sosiale konstruksionistiese benadering en kritiese diskoersanalise, probeer hierdie studie om vroue se verhale oor hul ervarings van seksuele teistering op die Universiteit Stellenbosch-kampus te ondersoek. Dit lei tot die begrip van hul ervarings binne die sosiale en patriargale konteks, asook 'n ondersoek na die diskoerse rondom vroulikheid en seksuele teistering. Data is versamel deur die gebruik van in-diepte semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude van tien deelnemers. Hierdie vroulike studente is ondervra omdat hulle self geïdentifiseer het dat hulle seksuele teistering op die kampus beleef het. Kritiese diskoersanalise is gebruik om onderliggende diskoerse en betekenisse uit die student taal te identifiseer. Drie breë temas het na vore gekom uit die weergawes, naamlik 'die aard van seksuele teistering', '(nie)die naam van seksuele teistering' en 'die uitdaging van patriargie en die weerstand teen slagoffer'. Die bevindinge toon dat die deelnemers seksuele teistering in lesingsale, koshuise en ander sosiale ruimtes regdeur die Universiteit ervaar het. As ons besin oor hierdie ontleding, argumenteer hierdie studie dat seksuele teistering binne die breër sosiale en patriargale konteks verstaan moet word, wat vroue uitdaag en / of dit moeilik maak om te praat oor seksuele teistering. In die besonder bied 'n sosiale konstruksionistiese en feministiese teoretiese lens insig in die magsverhoudinge wat seksuele teistering aanlok, en die sien ons die volharding van sulke ervarings binne universiteitskontekste. Die bevindings toon verhale van skaamte, vrees, twyfel sowel as hoe die deelnemers hulself beskryf as slagoffers van die patriargale stelsel. Die verhale van die deelnemers het manlike studente en ouer mans (grondpersoneel, werkers, veiligheidswagte en dié wat nie aan die universiteit verbonde is nie) geïdentifiseer as die oortreders van seksuele teistering. Die diskoers oor 'swak vroue', mans se gevoel van aanspraak op die liggame van die vrou, die manlike seksuele dryfkrag en diskoerse van die 'goeie vrou' was onder die wat die deelnemers gebruik het om hul ervarings te beskryf. Sulke diskoerse bied insig in hoe deelnemers sin maak van hul ervarings. Die deelnemers beskryf die kompleksiteit rondom die benaming / etikettering van hul ervarings as seksuele teistering en die belangrikheid van hul ervarings, op grond van dominante diskoerse en kulturele betekenisse om hulself op verskillende maniere te posisioneer. Laastens het die deelnemers agentskaplike vertellings gegee oor hoe hulle patriargie, patriargale diskoerse en ondersteuningstrukture op die kampus kritiseer en uitdaag, asook hoe hulle as agente teen slagoffer weerstand bied. Sleutelwoorde: seksuele teistering; patriargie; Suid Afrikaanse universiteit; sosiale konstruksionistiese lens; kritiese diskoersanalise; diskoers; magsdinamika; agentskap; slagoffer | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | viii, 179 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109295 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Sexual harassment in universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Patriarchy | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Social constructionism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Critical discourse analysis | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Blaming the victim | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Sexual abuse victims -- Social aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | A qualitative study exploring female university students’ experiences of sexual harassment | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |