Young university-going men’s perceptions of the #menaretrash movement and its impact on their masculinity

The #MenAreTrash movement has seen many strides and has gained much traction and support from society. Although societal issues of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) have been a concern predating the time of social media, the #MenAreTrash movement represents a more recent attempt to address the issues of GBV and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). There are many ways in which young university-going men have been impacted by the movement, including influencing their perceptions of masculinity within a predominantly patriarchally defined society. Consequently, there is a continued need for the involvement of young university-going men in conversations addressing both the movement and psychosocial issues surrounding GBV. The study explored young university-going men’s perceptions of the #MenAreTrash movement, its influence on their behaviour, and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The study was situated in the notion that reality is constructed through social processes (constructionism), and that knowledge is best sought through interpreting peoples lived experiences and the meanings assigned to those experiences (interpretivism)These were explored through the transcendental phenomenology lens. Methodologically, this study employed an explorative qualitative approach, making use of individual interviews to collect data. The sample consisted of 12 young university-going men from a university in the Western Cape, recruited through purposive sampling. Ethics clearance was obtained from the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC – HS22/9/26).

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of the Western Cape

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Gwadiso, Xolisa Amos

• Men
• Masculinity gender-based violence
• #MenAreTrash Movement
• Perceptions
• Young university-going

Licence

• https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/bitstreams/13f09b08-60d0-4921-945b-9001ec4bcf31/download