Virginity and virtue: African masculinities and femininities in the making of teenage sexual cultures

Abstract

In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the ways in which teenage Africans construct sexuality is imbued with high cultural value that honours virginity and female respectability. Of what significance, do the cultural practices that endorse chastity and virginity play in the lives of 16- turning 17-year-old teenage Africans in a township context of KwaZulu-Natal? By drawing on focus-group discussions with teenage men and women, this article explores the saliency of virginity and cultural constructs in African teenage men and women’s account of sexuality. The article argues that African teenagers’ defence of virginity is grounded in and inspired by deep cultural connections and is an important resource to claim respectability, status and an identity. Both teenage men and women centred on and idealized virginity and respect. In doing so their meanings weave into gendered patterns of inequalities. Implications that take heed of local cultural patterns in construction of teenage sexualities are discussed in the conclusion.