Die lewenstyle en romantiese verhoudings van 'n groep adolessente meisies in Bishop Lavis

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The aim of the study is to investigate the. lifestyles and and romantic relationships ofadolescent girls in the Bishop Lavis community. The study also explores the 'taxi-queen'phenomenon as a particular form of relationship. The study employed a qualitativemethodology. Data were collected by means of a combination of two methods: firstly, twofocus groups each consisting of seven high school learners between the ages of 16 and 18years and secondly, in-depth interviews conducted with three adolescent girls between theages of 16 and 20 years who were identified as'taxi-queens'. Regarding lifestyles of theyoung girls special attention was afforded to leisure activities, the role of the consumermarket, domestic circumstances and future expectations. In the case of romanticrelationships the study focused on the type of relationship the girls are involved in, reasonsfor their involvement, the nature and functions of romantic emotions, adolescent datingpatterns, sexual behaviour and sexual violence. Regarding lifestyles findings indicate thatleisure activities as well as the consumer market playa central role in the lives of theseyoung girls. Leisure activities not only provide pleasure but also function as an escapemechanism from parental supervision, rules and interference. Young girls tend toexperience romantic relationships as particularly positive and within these relationshipssexuality represents a central component. Sexual activities appear to cornmense duringearlier stages of the dating process. Furthermore, such activities are kept secret fromparents due to fear of negative reactions and sex-related topics are seldom discussed withparents. Sexual violence often forms a component of romantic relationships betweenadolescent girls and boys. In conclusion the 'taxi-queen' relationship as a relatively uniqueform of romantic relationship is demonstrated with reference to the experiences of threeyoung girls involved in such relationships. Recommendations for future research are madeon the basis of the findings of this study.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University