Negotiating femininities on campus: Sexuality, gender and risk in an HIV environment

Abstract

Objective: In South Africa, Black African women between the ages of 15 and 24 years are especially vulnerable to HIV. The heterosexual transmission of the disease is exacerbated by social and cultural conditions that perpetuate gender relations of inequality. Problematic conceptualisations of femininity increase sexual risk. The objective of this article is to examine the ways in which undergraduate university Black African female students make meaning of gender and sexuality on campus and the social processes through which femininities are produced. Design: Qualitative research study. Setting: University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Method: In total, 10 in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 25 Black African undergraduate female students aged between 18 and 24 years old. Results: Campus life was conceived as a place of heterosexual freedom, sexual enjoyment and engagement with dating relationships. Relationships were forged based on romantic notions of love and versions of femininity based on trust lead to sexual risk and unwanted pregnancy. In the context of material inequalities, ‘sugar daddy’ relationships further limited female students’ ability to negotiate safe sex. The overall climate on campus was structured along gender power inequalities. Female students feared and were victims of verbal, physical assault and sexual coercion. The lack of campus security exacerbated female students’ vulnerability to violence on campus. Conclusion: Addressing the specific meanings expressed by Black African female students on campus can help to improve the effectiveness of campus-based health education interventions promoting safe sex, gender equality and student safety.