Cultural Constructions of Masculinity and Their Contribution to Gender Based Violence: Women’s Perceptions and Lived Experiences in OR Tambo District

Cultural constructions of masculinity in rural South Africa perpetuate gender-based violence (GBV), yet women’s perspectives remain underexplored, particularly in the high-prevalence OR Tambo District. This study examined women’s perceptions and lived experiences of masculinity constructs contributing to GBV in Gxulu. It is a rural community situated in the Libode Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, under the Nyandeni municipality 5160 A phenomenological qualitative design using purposive sampling for saturation was used. Semi-structured interviews conducted in isiXhosa and English were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. A total of 29 women participated in the study, with an average age of 33.4 years. The study found that women held negative and positive perceptions of masculine characteristics. Participants perceived that masculinity may be characterized by unfaithfulness, with expectations of men to lead and make decisions possibly contributing to financial abuse of women. Masculinity may also be characterized by substance and alcohol misuse, with expectations of men being financially stable providers possibly contributing to physical abuse. Additionally, women perceived that alcohol led to sexual abuse and created men who were unable to express their emotions, leading to emotional abuse. These women’s insights reveal aspects of masculinity fueling GBV cycles, underscoring the need for norm-corrective, community-based interventions to foster gender-equitable norms in the rural Eastern Cape.