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.