Mothers and sex education: an explorative study in a low-income Western Cape community

Abstract

English: Using a social constructionist grounded theory method, the investigation reported on in this study explored the role of mothers in their daughters’ sex education in a lowincome Western Cape community. Mothers were interviewed in order to explore how they viewed their daughters’ sexuality and how they interacted with their daughters about it. The mothers were found to be uncomfortable with discussing sexual issues with their daughters; to equate their daughters’ sexuality with danger; to attempt to protect their daughters from danger by discouraging sexual exploration, and to have only a limited capability for open sexual discussion. It is argued here that mothers’ limiting constructions of female sexuality and sex education should be targeted in sex education programmes in this community.

Afrikaans: Sosiaal-konstruksionistiese begronde-teorie metode is gebruik om die rol van moeders in dogters se seksopvoeding te verken in een lae-inkomste Wes-Kaapse gemeenskap. Met onderhoude is moeders se persepsies van hulle dogters se seksualiteit, asook hulle interaksies met hulle dogters daaroor ondersoek. Daar is gevind dat moeders ongemaklik was om seksuele kwessies met dogters te bespreek; gerig was op die gevare verbonde aan hul dogters se seksualiteit; gepoog het om hul dogters teen gevaar te beskerm deur seksuele verkenning te ontmoedig, en beperkte vermoë het vir openlike seksuele besprekings. Dit word beklemtoon dat moeders se beperkende konstruksies van vroulike seksualiteit en seksopvoeding aandag moet geniet in seksopvoedingsprogramme in hierdie gemeenskap.