Contestations of the meanings of love and gender in a university students' discussion
Date
2013Author
Ngabaza, Sisa
Daniels, Dominic
Franck, Olivia
Maluleke, Rhulani
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Love is a fluid and complex concept that is difficult to define comprehensively. Its expressions, however, show
that love is not only gendered but also influenced by one's social and economic positioning. Family upbringing,
friends, race, culture and religion shape and constrain experiences of love. Third year students in a women's and
gender studies class carried out a qualitative feminist study to explore how university students understood rights
and responsibilities in romantic love. In a class of 127 students, each student conducted two semi-structured
interviews with two university students of either sex. The findings were discussed in class through a panel
discussion steered by five students. The students' findings revealed that contextualised relational power issues,
economic factors and the role of sex had importance in the way romantic relationships were understood. This
Briefing presents the discussion in which multiple issues are raised on the dynamics of love among some
university students, as they strive to find the meaning of romantic love.