Shifts in Heteronormative and Gender Normative Perceptions among Students at a South African University: A Decade Later

Abstract

South Africa’s Constitution is one of the most progressive in the world, where it highlights the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms to persons of any sex, gender, race, or sexual orientation and prohibits any discrimination on this basis. At the same time, since its introduction in 1996, a gap has existed between the Constitution and peoples’ actual lived experiences (particularly those of minority groups). To examine whether heteronormative and gender normative views are shifting, data from two quantitative cross-sectional surveys (2011 and 2021) conducted at an urban South African university were analysed and compared across several statements. The data suggest that a dramatic shift in attitude has taken place in this last decade (2011–2021). University students in 2021 were both significantly less homophobic, as well as expressing fewer heteronormative views compared to 2011. Male students continued to be more homophobic than female students, albeit homophobic attitudes had reduced significantly in both groups. Data also suggest that students were moving away from normative gendered views with a particularly dramatic change amongst female students, especially regarding views on sexual roles. We argue that the drop in homophobic views may be in part explained by a broader liberalisation of attitudes towards traditionally held gender roles and views, as the findings suggest significant shifts toward a more progressive dogma.