Advance Search

Interrogating Gender Identity and Stereotypes in South African Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Student Narratives at Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal

A Qualitative Study of Student Narratives at Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Sindisiwe Zungu
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Keywords:
Copyright and Licensing:

Copyright (c) 2025 Sindisiwe Zungu (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Share:

How to Cite

Interrogating Gender Identity and Stereotypes in South African Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Student Narratives at Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal. (2025). De-Centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.36615/0thb5h78
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Funding data

  • Articles
  • Submited: August 28, 2025
  • Published: October 31, 2025

Abstract

South African universities, while shaped by a progressive constitutional ethos, remain deeply influenced by the historical and socio-cultural legacy of gender inequality. This study explores how students at Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal, conceptualise gender roles, identities, and stereotypes within a context of entrenched norms and evolving ideals. Using interpretive qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students across various faculties to explore their understandings, and experiences of masculinities, femininities, and gender-related "toxic" traits in university spaces. The study involved 26 participants, selected through purposive and snowball sampling, comprising 20 undergraduate and six postgraduate students aged 18 to 26. Findings suggest that students view gender identities as socially constructed but still constrained by traditional binary, and prescriptive expectations. Socialising agents such as family, media, religion, and education were identified as key to shaping these norms. While the participants acknowledged the concept of gender fluidity, they also highlighted the persistence of rigid binaries, reflecting a tension between recognising fluidity and living within entrenched categories. Genderedinequalities were often framed in interpersonal terms, such as "toxic" behaviours, which risk overshadowing the deeper structural legacies of patriarchy and apartheid that continue to influence gendered power dynamics in South Africa. This study contributes to understanding how young people in higher education both reproduce and resist dominant gender discourses while navigating the psychological dissonance created by contradictory messages of equality and hierarchy. It emphasises the need for gender sensitisation and media literacy in higher education, alongside institutional action to address gendered power dynamics. Such interventions can challenge restrictive norms, address cultural and structural inequalities, and foster more inclusive debates on masculinity and femininity in South Africa.

PDF
PDF

Article Metrics Graph

Article Views | PDF Downloads
Chart Graph | Range Graph

References

  1. Alabi, O., 2023. Critical reflection on sexuality research in Nigeria: Epistemology, fieldwork and researcher's positionality. In Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-24.3.3972
  2. Alabi, O.J., 2020. Women's Sexual Agency and Use of Traditional Aphrodisiacs in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria. University of Johannesburg (South Africa).
  3. Alabi, O.J., 2025. Gender, Sexuality, and Traditional Aphrodisiacs: Kayan Mata and Intimate Relationships in Nigeria. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003510499
  4. Amer, A. and Obradovic, S. 2022. Recognising recognition: Self‐other dynamics in everyday encounters and experiences. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 52(4), 550-562. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12356
  5. Amin, M.E.K., Norgaard, L.S., Cavaco, A.M., Witry, M.J., Hillman, L., Cernasev, A. and Desselle, S.P. 2020. Establishing trustworthiness and authenticity in qualitative pharmacy research. Research in social and administrative pharmacy, 16(10), 1472-1482.
  6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.02.005
  7. Beaudoin, C. E. and Thorson, E. 2006. The Social Capital of Blacks and Whites: Differing Effects of the Mass Media in the United States. Human Communication Research. 32 (2), 157177. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2006.00007.x
  8. Berger, I. 1992. Threats of Solidarity: Women in South African Industry, 1900-1980. Indiana University Press and James Currey. https://doi.org/10.2979/3155.0
  9. Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. 1967. The Social Construction of Reality. New York, Penguin Books. Biana, H. 2020. The philosophical heritage of bell hooks' radical feminism and cultural criticism. Scientia, 9(2), 39-52. https://doi.org/10.57106/scientia.v9i2.121
  10. Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. 1991. The social construction of reality. London, Penguin Books.
  11. Braun, V. and Clarke, V. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 3 (1), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  12. Burr, V. 2015. Social Constructionism. 3rd Edition. London, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315715421
  13. Burr, V. 2024. Social constructionism. London, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003335016
  14. Bussey, K. and Bandura, A. 1999. Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation. Psychological review, 106(4), 676. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-295X.106.4.676
  15. Butler, J. 1990. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London, Routledge.
  16. Chapman and Hall. Butler, J. 1988. Performative acts and gender constitution: An essay in phenomenology and feminist theory. In Feminist theory reader. Routledge. 353-361.
  17. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003001201-42
  18. Cislaghi, B. and Heise, L. 2020. Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science. Sociology of health & illness, 42(2), 407-422.
  19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13008
  20. Collins, P.H. and Bilge, S. 2016. Intersectionality. Malden, MA, John Wiley. Connell, R.W. 1995. Masculinities. Stanford, Stanford University Press. Connell, R. W. 1998. Masculinities and globalisation. Men and Masculinities, 1(3), 3-23.
  21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X98001001001
  22. Connell, R. W. and Messerschmidt, J. W. 2005. Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender and Society, 19(6), 829-859. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243205278639
  23. Connell, R.W. 2016. 'Gender as a Structure of Social Practice'. In Space, gender, knowledge: Feminist readings. Routledge. 44-52.
  24. Connell, R.W. and Wood, J. 2005. Globalization and business masculinities. Men and Masculinities. 7(4), 347-364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X03260969
  25. Crawford, M. 2005. Transformations: Women, gender and psychology. New York, McGraw-Hill.
  26. Crenshaw, K. 1989. Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago. Legal Forum.
  27. Dicke, A.L., Safavian, N. and Eccles, J.S. 2019. Traditional gender role beliefs and career attainment in STEM: A gendered story? Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1053.
  28. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01053
  29. Donovan, C., Gangoli, G., King, H. and Dutt, A. 2023. Understanding gender and sexuality: The hidden curriculum in English schools. Review of Education, 11(3), e3440.
  30. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3440
  31. Eagly, A.H. and Wood, W.J. 2012. Social role theory. Handbook of theories of social psychology. 2, 458-476. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249222.n49
  32. Etikan, I. 2016. Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
  33. Fereday, J. and Muir-Cochrane, E. 2006. Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500107
  34. Gichuru, M.J. 2017. The Interpretive Research Paradigm: A Critical Review of Research Methodologies. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies, 4(2), 1-4.
  35. Graaff, K. and Heinecken, L. 2017. Masculinities and gender-based violence in South Africa: A study of a masculinities-focused intervention programme. Development Southern Africa, 34(5), 622-634. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2017.1334537
  36. Helman, R., and Ratele, K. 2016. Everyday (in)equality at Home: Complex Constructions of Gender in South African Families. Gender Health Action, 9(1), 31122.
  37. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v9.31122
  38. Hooks, b. 2006. Outlaw culture: resisting representations. London, Routledge.
  39. Hopkins, P. 2018. What is Intersectionality? [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1islM0ytkE [Accessed 06 August 2025].
  40. Kandiyoti, D. 1988. Bargaining with patriarchy. Gender & society, 2(3), 274-290.
  41. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124388002003004
  42. Kennedy, R. 1997. Race, crime and the law. New York, Vintage.
  43. Lorber, J. 2018. Constructing Gender: The Dancer and The Dance. In Inequality in the 21st Century. Routledge.
  44. Marecek, J., Crawford, M. and Popp, D. 2004. On the construction of gender, sex, and sexualities. In A. H. Eagly, A. E. Beall, R.J. Sternberg (eds.), The psychology of gender (2nd ed.). New York, The Guilford Press. 192-216.
  45. Mdunge, F. 2023. Experiences of Gender Roles in Young Adults Living in Soweto (Master's thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa).
  46. Mokhesi, T.M. 2024. Perceptions of Adolescents in Gauteng, South Africa Towards Gender Roles (Master's thesis, University of South Africa (South Africa).
  47. Morgenroth, T. and Heilman, M.E. 2017. Should I stay or should I go? Implications of maternity leave choice for perceptions of working mothers. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72, 53-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.04.008
  48. Morrell, R. 1998. Of Boys and Men: Masculinity and Gender in Southern African Studies. Journal of Southern African Studies, 24(4), 605-630. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057079808708593
  49. Mwangi, E.W., Gachahi, M.W. and Ndung'u, C.W. 2019. The Role of Mass Media as a Socialisation Agent in Shaping Behaviour of Primary School Pupils in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. Pedagogical Research, 4 (4), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/5950
  50. Ndhlovu, G.N., Tanga, P.T. and Adjoh-Davoh, V.D. 2021. The Interconnection between Youth Gangs, Toxic Masculinity, and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa. In Negotiating Patriarchy and Gender in Africa: Discourses, Practices, and Policies, 73-83.
  51. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781978721258.ch-5
  52. Noble, H. and Smith, J. 2015. Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evid 23 Based Nurs, 18 (1), 34-35. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102054
  53. Oldfield, S. and Tucker, A. 2019. Persistent pasts, present struggles, imagined futures: Gender geographies in South Africa after apartheid. Gender, Place & Culture, 26(7-9), 1243-1252. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2019.1632273
  54. Omojemite, M.D., Cishe, E.N. and Zibongiwe, M. 2024. Gender Stereotyping and Social Norms: Exploring Theoretical Perspectives and Educational Implications. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 9(3), 77-92. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2024.48
  55. Peacock, D. 2013. South Africa's Sonke Gender Justice Network: educating men for gender equality. Agenda, 27(1), 128-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2013.808793
  56. Pervin, N. and Mokhtar, M. 2022. The interpretivist research paradigm: A subjective notion of a social context. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 11(2), 419-428. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v11-i2/12938
  57. Pinho, M., Gaunt, R. and Gross, H. 2021. Caregiving dads, breadwinning mums: Pathways to the division of family roles among role-reversed and traditional parents. Marriage & Family Review, 57(4), 346-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2021.1875102
  58. Poole, M. 2023. Socialisation: How we become who and what we are. Public Sociology, 94-122. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003193791-7
  59. Presidency, S.A. 2014. Twenty year review of South Africa. Pretoria, Government
  60. Printers. Quirk, J. and Dugard, J. 2024. Gender-based harm in higher education in South Africa: Introducing the special issue. South African Journal on Human Rights, 40(1-2), 1-9.
  61. https://doi.org/10.1080/02587203.2025.2473769
  62. Rose, J. and Johnson, C.W. 2020. Contextualizing reliability and validity in qualitative research: Toward more rigorous and trustworthy qualitative social science in leisure research. Journal of leisure research, 51(4), 432-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2020.1722042
  63. Ruslin, I.T. 2022. The way of a patriarchal bargain: how the bargain under the structure and agency perspective. ETNOSIA: Jurnal Etnografi Indonesia, 7(2), 141-153.
  64. https://doi.org/10.31947/etnosia.v7i2.21293
  65. Russo, N. F. and Pirlott, A. 2006. Gender‐Based Violence. Unpublished Thesis. Department of Psychology. Arizona State University, Arizona, USA.
  66. Shamim, M. and Rafek, M. 2024. Gender Stereotypes in Media: An Analysis of Contemporary Television Shows. Journal of Foundational Research, XXXII, (1), 75-82.
  67. Skyba, E. and Tkachenko, K. 2021. Gender challenges of modern societies. Philosophy, Economics and Law Review, 1(2), 18-24. https://doi.org/10.31733/2786-491X-2021-2-16-22
  68. Smuts, L., Reijer, J. and Dooms, T. 2015. Perceptions of sexuality and gendered sexual roles among students at a South African university: Exploring heteronormativity on campus. Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, 6(1), 65-75.
  69. https://doi.org/10.1080/09766634.2015.11885647
  70. Undelikwo, V.A., Ikpi, N. E. and Eneji, R.I. 2019. Restructuring family relation and gender roles as a precursor to gender equality. European Journal of Social Sciences, 58(3), 246-258.
  71. Vink, M., van der Lippe, T., Derks, B., and Ellemers, N. 2022. Does national context matter when women surpass their partner in status? Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-13.
  72. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.670439
  73. Welch, K. 2007. Black Criminal Stereotypes and Racial Profiling. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23(3), 276-288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986207306870
  74. Young, A.M., Moji, M., Duby, Z., Tenza, S., Atujuna, M., Palanee-Phillips, T., Minnis, A.M. and Montgomery, E.T. 2025. The "Ideal Man": How Gender Norms and Expectations Shape South African Men's Masculinity, Sexual Identities, and Well-Being. The Journal of Men's Studies, 33(2), 417-440. https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265241303734
  75. Yousaf, O., Popat, A. and Hunter, M.S. 2015. An investigation of masculinity attitudes, gender, and attitudes toward psychological help-seeking. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 16 (2), 234-237. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036241
How to Cite
Interrogating Gender Identity and Stereotypes in South African Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Student Narratives at Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal. (2025). De-Centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.36615/0thb5h78

Send mail to Author

Send Cancel

Custom technologies based on your needs

  • ORCID
  • Crossref
  • PubMed
    • Clarivate