Perceptions of masculinity and relationship power among young men in Durban and Soweto, South Africa

Abstract

Masculinities influence sexual, reproductive, and mental health outcomes and health seeking behaviours, as they intersect with socioeconomic, cultural and political forces. In post-apartheid South Africa, racialised inequities and social change shape how young men navigate gender and relationships. This paper explores how young men living in urban informal settlements understand masculinity and relationship power. Cognitive interviews were conducted with 17 men aged 21-30 from Durban and Soweto, reflecting on their sexual relationships while responding to a 13-item Sexual Relationship Power (SRP) scale. Thematic analysis was undertaken. Findings revealed three interconnected themes on participants' perceptions and enactments of masculinity: (1) tradition versus transition, where cultural identity and evolving gender norms influence domestic labour and relationship roles; (2) control as care, highlighting how surveillance of women's mobility and appearance, and possessiveness were framed as protection; and (3) masculinity and the power to decide, where decision-making was negotiated through culturally informed expectations of male authority, emotional insecurity and shifting relationship power dynamics. Participants' masculinities ranged from traditional to egalitarian, demonstrating how masculinity is contextually and relationally performed. Findings underscore the need for contextually grounded, gender transformative programmes and interventions that address masculinity as multiple, dynamic and relational rather than as a static identity.