University of Huddersfield Repository Azende, Peter M. Sexuality and Sexual Agency among Female Adolescents in North Central Nigeria: A Grounded Theory Approach. Original Citation Azende, Peter M. (2018) Sexuality and Sexual Agency among Female Adolescents in North Central Nigeria: A Grounded Theory Approach. Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34796/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ Sexuality and Sexual Agency among Female Adolescents in North Central Nigeria: A Grounded Theory Approach. By Peter Msuega Azende A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. August 2018 Copyright Statement The author of this thesis (including any appendices and/ or schedules to this thesis) owns any copyright in it (the “Copyright”) and s/he has given The University of Huddersfield the right to use such Copyright for any administrative, promotional, educational and/or teaching purposes. Copies of this thesis, either in full or in extracts, may be made only in accordance with the regulations of the University Library. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. The ownership of any patents, designs, trademarks and any and all other intellectual property rights except for the Copyright (the “Intellectual Property Rights”) and any reproductions of copyright works, for example graphs and tables (“Reproductions”), which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property Rights and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property Rights and/or Reproductions. 1 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to two exceptional women. The first is my adorable wife, Mrs Magdalene N. Azende for her unyielding support and encouragement throughout my doctoral research journey. The second is my lovely mother, Mrs Racheal K. Azende for her sacrifice and prayers for success in my education. 2 Acknowledgements Primarily, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength and making this doctoral research journey possible. Next, I gratefully acknowledge my principle supervisor, Professor Adele Jones. It has been a wonderful experience doing research under her tutelage. Her generous guidance, encouragement and continuous support made this long journey a smooth one. She has been a dear friend to my family and me. I am so blessed to have met her. Adele, I will forever be thankful to you for your phenomenal contribution to the success of this study. In addition, I am very grateful to my associate supervisor Dr. Jo Woodiwiss for the advice and suggestions that have shaped the research process. I am very grateful to both for their valuable supervision. I acknowledge the young women and parents that participated in this study. Their names are not mentioned for reasons of confidentiality. Without them, this thesis would not have been possible. I am indebted to my wife Magdalene for the immeasurable help that she provided throughout the study period. I was fortunate to have you along the way during this exciting journey. I also acknowledge my children Tomuter, Adele and Tertsua. I would also like to thank my dear friends and colleagues; Dr. Sidi Mohammed, Tim Dlamini, Dr. Egena Ode, Dr. Darius Ikyanyon, Mpem Terungwa and Gemanen Asema. I own a very special thanks to Miss Joyce Rumun Akpenpuun for her support during data collection for this study. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Femi Tinuola for playing a role in who I am as a teacher and researcher. I also want to thank my mother for her prayers and my elder brother, Dr. Terungwa Azende, for showing me that success is a result of hard work and continuous effort. To my other siblings, Isaiah, Nguevese, Sughtor, and Nadoo, I hope I have made you all proud. 3 Abstract Within Tiv society, the prevailing sociocultural context in which young people live plays a significant role in their knowledge and experiences about sexuality. With a grounded theory approach, this study focuses on tracking the influence of sociocultural forces on the sexual world of young women and contributes to the culturally specific understanding of how female adolescents experience their sexuality. Qualitative methods were used to elicit data for this study. Four focus group discussions were conducted with young women between the ages of 14 and 19 years. In addition, individual in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty parents. Additionally, another set of young women participated in thirteen individual Skype in- depth interviews. Data were recorded, transcribed and then analysed using the concurrent processes of constant comparative analysis, data gathering, theoretical sampling and memo writing. Findings revealed that female adolescent sexuality among the Tiv is socially constructed and affected by power relations and repressive traditions. This seems to derive from the interplay of power, gender, patriarchal values and culture/traditional practices. Young women, however, demonstrated their belief that sexuality was an integral part of who they were. They were acutely aware of their sexual needs and desires and they used a range of tactics to claim back and express their sexual power. Given that their premarital sexual intercourse is negatively and punitively constructed, some young women paid very high prices for subverting parental control over their sexuality and engaging in premarital sex, especially if they became pregnant. The adolescents in this study were agentic, but only within the liminal space that they create. The development of sexuality for Tiv adolescent females is then, a complex and shifting construction mediated by cultural context, family norms and social settings. Young women’s understanding of their own sexuality reflects consciousness and their expression of sexual desire reflects agency, however these crucial facets of the subjective self are constrained within a wider context. Further, the role of mothers in controlling their daughters’ sexuality is illustrative of their role in the perpetuation of patriarchal values. This thesis provides new insights into adolescent sexuality and contributes to creating a space where female adolescents can share their perceptions and experiences about their sexual lives. 4 Glossary of Acronyms AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome CSE Comprehensive Sex Education FGD Focus Group Discussion FGM Female Genital Mutilation FLHE Family Life HIV Education GT Grounded Theory HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus LGBT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender NGO/s Non-Governmental Organization/s NDHS Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey NYSC National Youth Service Corps STI/s Sexually Transmitted Infection/s SREP School Research and Ethics Panel SRH Sexual and Reproductive Health SUM Sudan United Mission SWD Social Welfare Department UK United Kingdom UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Funds WHO World Health Organization 5 Table of Contents Copyright Statement ...................................................................................................................... 1 Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 3 Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Glossary of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................... 5 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter One...................................................................................................................................... 12 Introduction and Background to the Study ........................................................................................ 12 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 12 1.2 The Aim of the Study .............................................................................................................. 12 1.3 Background to the Study .......................................................................................................