Abstract
This study explored the relationship between sexual health and religion among young, Pentecostal Christian women navigating the transition to adulthood in Khayelitsha township, in the City of Capetown, South Africa. Between February and August 2019, eleven semi-structured interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted. Thematic analysis and discourse analysis were used to analyse the data collected. The study found that the relationship between sexual health and religion was complex and multifaceted, shaped by the religious dichotomisation of “right” and “wrong”, socio-economic constraints and culture. Despite the perceived decline of religious influence on the sexual and social lives of youth, religion continues to play an instrumental role in shaping the dreams, aspirations and lifestyles of young people, especially as they transition to adulthood. We argue therefore, that religion is a significant spiritual and cultural resource that young women use to develop their sexual and social identities, although it cannot always be equated with their sexual practice or decision-making related to sexual health. In the light of this, churches should still be seen as key partners in the fight against HIV as their involvement can act as a stabilising force for young people dealing with poverty and uncertainty. Church engagement with young people should offer programmes that include but are not limited to sexual health.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burchardt, M. (2011). Challenging pentecostal moralism: Erotic geographies, religion and sexual practices among township youth in Cape Town. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 13(6), 669–683. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2011.566356
Burchardt, M. (2015). Faith in the Time of AIDS. In Faith in the Time of AIDS: Religion, Biopolitics and Modernity in South Africa. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137477774
Challa, S., Manu, A., Morhe, E., Dalton, V. K., Loll, D., Dozier, J., Zochowski, M. K., Boakye, A., Adanu, R., & Hall, K. S. (2018). Multiple levels of social influence on adolescent sexual and reproductive health decision-making and behaviors in Ghana. Women & Health, 58(4), 434–450. https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2017.1306607
Casale, M., Nixon, S., Flicker, S., Rubincam, C., & Jenney, A. (2010). Dilemmas and tensions facing a FBOspromoting HIV prevention among young people in South Africa. African Journal of AIDS Research, 9(2), 135–145. https://doi.org/10.2989/16085906.2010.517480
De Lannoy, A., Mudiriza, G., Ngcowa, S., Storme, E., & Smith, C. (2018). Unpacking the Lived Realities of Western Cape Youth Exploring the well-being of young people residing in five of the most deprived areas in the Western Cape Province With contributions from Alicia Fortuin, Tsitsi Mpofu-Mketwa, Unpacking the Lived Realities. https://www.westerncape.gov.za/sites/www.westerncape.gov.za/files/youth_well_being_wc_lowres.pdf
De Vos, A. S., Delport, C. S. L., Fouché, C. B., & Strydom, H. (2011). Research at grass roots: A primer for the social science and human professions. Van Schaik Publishers.
Derose, K. P., & Kanouse, D. E. (2011). Faith-based organizations and the framings of HIV/AIDS. In A. N. Miller & D. L. Rubin (Eds.), Health communication and faith communities (pp. 115–141). Hampton Press.
Garner, R. C. (2000). Safe sects? Dynamic religion and AIDS in South Africa. Journal of Modern African Studies, 38, 41–69.
Haddad, B. (2018). “Taking the Wanting out of Waiting”: HIV, Transactional Sex, and# Blessed in the Context of Neo-liberal Christianity. Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 161, 5–17.
Honwana, A. (2014). ‘Waithood’: Youth Transitions and Social Change. In D. Foeken, T. Dietz, L. de Haan, & L. Johnson (Eds.), Development and equity (1st ed., pp. 28–40). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004269729
Hunter, M. (2010). Love in the Time of AIDS: Inequality, gender and rights in South Africa. Indiana University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0002020600007253
Juárez, F., & Gayet, C. (2014). Transitions to adulthood in developing countries. Annual Review of Sociology, 40, 521–538. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-052914-085540
Katz, D. A., Wong, V. J., Medley, A. M., Johnson, C. C., Cherutich, P. K., Green, K. E., Huong, P., & Baggaley, R. C. (2019). The power of partners: positively engaging networks of people with HIV in testing, treatment and prevention. Journal of the International AIDS Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25314
Ligaga, D. (2020). Women, visibility and morality in Kenyan popular media. African Humanities Program. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvxcrxrj
Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 9(3). http://ojs.aishe.org/index.php/aishe-j/article/view/335
Mampane, J. N. (2018). Exploring the “Blesser and Blessee” Phenomenon: Young women, transactional sex, and HIV in rural South Africa. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018806343
Meyer, B. (2010). Aesthetics of persuasion: Global Christianity and Pentecostalism’s sensational forms. South Atlantic Quarterly, 109(4), 741–763. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-2010-015
Moodley, C. G. (2017). Perceptions of South African emerging adult FET College students on sexual practices in relation to religion. Journal of Religion and Health, 56, 1515–1536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0312-x
Ngxiza, S. (2012). Sustainable economic development in previously deprived localities: The case of Khayelitsha in Cape Town. Urban Forum, 23(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-011-9134-9
Olivier, J., & Smith, S. (2016). Innovative faith-community responses to HIV and AIDS: Summative lessons from Over Two Decades of Work. The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 14(3), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2016.1215839
Olowu, D. (2015). Responses to the global HIV and AIDS pandemic: A study of the role of FBOs in Lesotho. SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 12(1), 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/17290376.2015.1124802
Pienaar, A., Swanepoel, Z., van Rensburg, H., & Heunis, C. (2011). A qualitative exploration of resilience in pre-adolescent AIDS orphans living in a residential care facility. Sahara-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 8(3), 128–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/17290376.2011.9724995
Stats SA. (2012). Data Census 2011 Statistical release—P0301.4. https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P03014/P030142011.pdf
Stats, S. A. (2016). Quarterly Labour Force Survey Q3:2016. Quarterly Labour Force Survey, PO211(May), 1–70.
Stinson, K., Goemaere, E., Coetzee, D., van Cutsem, G., Hilderbrand, K., Osler, M., Hennessey, C., Wilkinson, L., Patten, G., & Cragg, C. (2017). Cohort Profile: The Khayelitsha antiretroviral programme, Cape Town, South Africa. International Journal of Epidemiology, 46(2), e21–e21. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyw057
Swartz, A., Colvin, C., & Harrison, A. (2016). The Cape Town boyfriend and the Joburg boyfriend: Women’s sexual partnerships and social networks in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Social Dynamics, 42(2), 237–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/02533952.2016.1194591
Swartz, S., Hamilton Harding, J., & De Lannoy, A. (2012). Comparative Education Ikasi style and the quiet violence of dreams: A critique of youth belonging in post-Apartheid South Africa. Comparative Education, 48(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2011.637761
Taliep, N., Lazarus, S., Seedat, M., & Cochrane, J. R. (2016). The role of religious leaders in anti-Apartheid mobilisation: Implications for violence prevention in contemporary South Africa. Religion, State and Society, 44(4), 331–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2016.1242890
UNAIDS. (2018). Country factsheets South Africa | 2018 HIV and AIDS Estimates| 2018 HIV People living with HIV Coverage of adults and children. In Unaids. https://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/southafrica
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the young women who participated in this study for their time and efforts and the community liaisons who provided us with venues and other resources to conduct this research in Khayelitsha. We would also like to acknowledge Associate Professor Christopher Colvin, Dr. Jennifer Githaiga and Dr. Carmen Späth for their review of this paper.
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the Fogarty International Centre (FIC) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (#D43 TW011308), the National Research Foundation of South Africa (#118533 and Unique grant #111678) and Canon Collins Educational and Legal Assistance Trust. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the National Research Foundation or Canon Collins Educational and Legal Assistance Trust.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Health Science Faculty’s Human Research and Ethics Committee (HREC) and UCT’s School of Public Health and Family Medicine (HREC REF: 288/2019).
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all the participants involved in this study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Perera, S., Swartz, A. “An Unchanging God in a Changing World”: Sexual Practice and Decision-Making among Christian Women in South Africa. J Relig Health 60, 4045–4060 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01305-7
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01305-7