This study investigates how women and men in the Western Cape, South Africa,
construct their gender identities and roles. As part of the development of an
HIV prevention intervention for men, key informant interviews and focus group
discussions were conducted. Several themes regarding the construction of gender
were identified. First, participants reported that traditional gender relations
of male dominance and female subservience were still in evidence, along with
traditional gender roles that mandated a division of labour between the
household and paid workforce. Second, participants reported a shift in gender
roles and relations in the direction of increased power for women. Last, hostile
resistance to changes in gender power relations was evident in the discussions.
Redefining masculinity and femininity and shifting gender relations in the
direction of `power with' instead of `power over' is perhaps a necessary prelude
to lasting social change and curbing the HIV epidemic in South Africa.