Sexual Intimacy Constructions of Heterosexual Couples Living in a Low-Income, “Colored,” Farmworker Community in South Africa

Abstract

This study has been motivated by the scarcity of research that adopts an unproblematic focus on sexuality in South African Black and Colored low-income communities. We explored the sexual intimacy constructions of 15 Colored married/cohabiting couples who live in a low-income, historical South African farmworker community. Using a social constructionist thematic analysis method, we identified four themes: (a) metaphoric and indirect sexual language; (b) the use of a romantic discourse to talk about sexual experiences; (c) male-centered sexual relationships; and (d) lack of privacy brings both restriction and pleasure. We consider how these themes may be linked to the participants’ community context and colonial and apartheid history. Finally, we emphasize the need for research that also explores positive sex functions and experiences rather than focuses narrowly on problematic sexual behavior.

Acknowledgments

Our thanks to the participants taking part in this study. We also want to thank Rozanne Casper for her assistance with this manuscript.

Funding

We acknowledge the support of the South Africa–Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) and the South African National Research Foundation.

Notes

¹ The use of these terms is contentious in South Africa, and they do not refer to homogenous groups. They are viewed as symbols of the apartheid practice of categorizing and discriminating against people according to so-called race. We emphasize that we use the terms to acknowledge heterogeneous groups of people who were disadvantaged in many ways during the colonial and apartheid eras. These terms thus have significant historical and socioeconomic-political meaning.

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge the support of the South Africa–Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) and the South African National Research Foundation.