Exploring heterosexual relationships between South African women and men from other African countries

The Department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities University of the Witwatersrand In partial fulfilment of the requirements For the degree Bachelor of Social WorkThe free movement of people due to globalization has increased the rate of migration worldwide. Travel and interactions of individuals from different regions and countries during transit and in countries of resettlement has also improved. Large numbers of people from other parts of Africa are migrating to South Africa for diverse reasons including for employment, medical attention, tourism and business. This has contributed to a growing number of “inter- national” heterosexual relationships and inter-marriages between South African and foreign nationals. The primary aim of the proposed study is to find out the experiences of South African women who are in relationships with men from other African countries. The research will adopt a qualitative approach and a narrative research design. Non-probability purposive and snowball sampling will be used. Data will be collected from 10 South African women, through face-to-face individual interviews, using an unstructured interview schedule. Thematic data analysis will be used to analyze the data collected in conjunction with previous literate reviewed. It is hoped that the findings generated from the study may contribute to debates on cross national migration and relationships. The research findings revealed that South African women who are in relationships with men from other African countries faced judgment from the society and their families for getting involved with foreign national. They felt a strong need for education and awareness programs, where South African people could be taught to be tolerant and acceptance of people from other African countries. Key words: heterosexual relationships, men, womenGR201