The Blesser and the Blessee Phenomenon. Women Empowerment or Sexual Predatory Antics

Seminararbeit , 2021 , 6 Seiten , Note: 1

Afrikawissenschaften - Komparatistik

The study set out to find out whether the phenomenon of blesser and blessee is an act of women empowerment or simply a sexual predatory caper. The study was carried out among university students and some selected members of the business community in Kabwe district in Zambia. The study used a qualitative method and a total of 120 respondents were targeted; 100 students from two universities and 20 selected businesswomen. The instruments used for data collection were semi-structured questionnaires, Focus group discussions via WhatsApp social platform, and face-to-face interviews. The study revealed that the blesser and the blessee phenomenon is real and has created a crazy, morally and economically sick society that is briskly sliding into an abyss of complete moral decadence.

Table of content

Background

Theoretical Framework

Objectives

Methodology

Findings and Discussion

Recommendations

References

About the Author

Abstract: The study set out to find out whether the phenomenon of blesser and blessee is an act of women empowerment or simply a sexual predatory caper. The study was carried out among university students and some selected members of the business community in Kabwe district in Zambia. The study used a qualitative method and a total of 120 respondents were targeted; 100 students from two universities and 20 selected businesswomen. The instruments used for data collection were semi-structured questionnaires, Focus group discussions via WhatsApp social platform, and face-to-face interviews. The study revealed that the blesser and the blessee phenomenon is real and has created a crazy, morally and economically sick society that is briskly sliding into an abyss of complete moral decadence. The young and the older generation have been swallowed by this new phenomenon as they have fallen prey to the penchant for pleasure and materialism. The study further revealed that the new phenomenon actually empowers women though with a touch of a sexual predatory romp on both parties involved. In as much as the blessees are economically empowered by their blessers, they are to a large extent sexually exploited and have very little negotiating powers for safer sex. The study recommends that individual nations should stamp out all forms of economic inequalities and unemployment so that blessers do not thrive on women's aspirations toward those middle-class lifestyles which are easily accessible through blessers.

Keywords: Blesser and blessee, Materialism, Women Empowerment, Phenomenon, Exploitation

Background

The "Blesser-blessee" phenomenon has been prominent in South Africa since 2016 (Mampane, 2018, Mokhatle et al., 2018). They describe it as a form of transactional sex in which older rich men (‘blessers') tend to entice young women (‘blessees') with money and expensive gifts in exchange for sexual favours. Mokhatle et al. (2018) indicate that this phenomenon increases the chances of HIV/AIDS infection, unwanted pregnancies, and other diseases. The desire for flamboyant lifestyle (an indication that one is blessed) is not only unique to South Africa but it is also permeating the Zambian society. This study, therefore, seeks to examine whether the Blesser-blessee phenomenon is some sought of women empowerment. The study involved university students and some selected members of kabwe community in Zambia. The study recommends stamping out all forms of economic inequalities and unemployment.

Theoretical Framework

The study is informed by the sexual economic theory whose emphasis is on sex as the resource that women have and men want (Roy, Baumeister, 2004). Men trade resources that women value, these include attention, affection, time, money, status, or respect in hopes of receiving sex (Rudman, et al., 2013). Sexual economics theory's core idea is that women are the sellers and men are the buyers. The study is also informed by Marxist theory whose emphasis is on the relationship between the upper class and the lower class. The theory argues that man's relationships in society are determined by his economic status and that society is divided into social classes of "haves' and "have-nots", the "rich" and the "poor", the "owners" of wealth and the "producers" of wealth.

Objectives

1. To explore the factors that encourage the blesser-blessee phenomenon among women in Kabwe District in Zambia.
2. To examine whether the blesser-blessee trend can be regarded as a form of women empowerment or not.
3. To gain a better understanding of the blesser-blessee phenomenon to be able to inform policy and practice in the development of interventions to mitigate the risk of having a morally sick society

Methodology

Research Design Data sources

The study employed a qualitative research method as suggested by (Polite & Beck, 2014) and the data collection instruments used were face to face interviews and the Focus Group Discussions.

Sampling

Convenience sampling was used to find participants for the study because of the nature of the investigation. 100 female students drawn from different faculties and 20 women were selected from the community around Kwame Nkrumah University in Kabwe.

Findings and Discussion

Women's understanding of "Blesser-blessee" trend

Majority of the women showed a good understanding of the trend and indicated that:

"A blesser is an old person giving you money for sexual exchange."

Majority of the respondents explained that their partners provide them with financial support such as paying school fees for them, rent boarding houses, and provide transport fares. The majority of the respondents also expressed knowledge about the dangers of the trend. They said that the trend leads to STSs, HIV and unwanted pregnancies but was quick to state that they had no choice as they were driven by economic factors.

Factors Contributing to the Blesser-blessee trend

Poverty and unemployment were found to be major factors contributing to the phenomenon. One respondent said: "Without my blesser, I would have stopped school since my parents are poor and cannot afford."

Another one said: "I am financially and economically independent today because of a blesser. He took me to school and even got a job for me. He empowered me."

The above suggests that the trend prevents poverty-stricken women from ending up in the streets since blessers come to their aid. The results of the study are in tandem with Ramjee & Daniels (2013)'s findings which suggest that many women resort to transactional sexual relationships to sustain their livelihoods and the younger are coerced into sexual activities with older men for the purposes of survival. The current study is also consistent with Mokhatle et al. (2018)'s view that the poor socio-economic background of students drive them into dating employed partners because they would assist them with financial support and basic necessities.

The study further revealed that the need for emotional and moral support put women at the receiving end in the whole transactinal arrangment. One respondent for instance stated:

“ I ended up having a blesser because of loneliness. I have no parents to take care of my emotinal and moral needs. So my blesser is in a way my surrogate father. He is ever there for me as in giving me moral, emotional support, and finacial support. I am able to buy whatever I want and having a blesser prevented me from engaging in prostitution in the streets. So having a blesser is a good thing to me.”

Another contributing factor is the insatiable penchant for pleasure and Materialism by women.

Women's desire to uplift their social status forces them into transactional sex interactions. One respondent said:

"My friends who have blessers are better than me. I would love to have one so that I can drive the latest cars like my friends and earn myself respect from my friends."

The above suggests that blessers exist in our communities and have helped empower women who are economically disadvantaged. From the Marxist standpoint, the study revealed that the failure of women in general to attain higher status is one argument one can attribute to this blesser-blessee phenomenon. Most of the blessees are vulnerable women who find it difficult to elude the power dynamics of Zambian political economy to attain a better status than their current one. We can, therefore, say that the phenomenon is a façade (deceptive) women empowerment because ultimately blessers take advantage of the economic situation of the blessees. Blessers are predators so to speak who thrive on the economically weak women. In as much as the blessees are economically empowered by their blessers, they are to a large extent sexually exploited and have very little negotiating powers for safer sex.

Recommendations

The study recommends the following measures to wipe out the Blesser-blessee phenomenon: The need to stamp out all forms of economic inequalities and unemployment and also to scale-up women empowerment programmes by government and NGOs. There is an urgent need for a vigorous campaign against the trend and cultivate of awareness amongst and disseminate information to students and among women in communities about sexually transmitted diseases. Finally, there is a need to design a programme to build up self-esteem and empower young women to make healthy life decisions.

References

Baumeister, R.F. & Vohs, K.D. (2004). Sexual Economics: Sex as Female Resource for Social Exchange in Heterosexual Interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8, 339-363.

_________________ (2017).Competing for love: Applying Sexual Economic Theory to Mating Contests. Journal of Economic Psychology, 63, 230-241.

Chinelo, O.C. (2014). Risk Factors for Transactional Sex among Young Females in Post- Conflict Liberia. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 18(3) 133z.

Dipio, D. (1998). Theory and Criticism of Literature. Uganda: Makerere University.

Hunter, M. (2002). The Materiality of Everyday Sex: Thinking beyond prostitution. Africa Studies, 61: 99-120

Luke, N. (2003). Age and Economic asymmetries in the sexual relationships of adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Stud Fam Plann, 34(2)67-86.

Mapane, J.N. (2018). Exploring the ‘Blesser and Blessee' phenomenon: Young Women, Transactional Sex, and HIV in Rural South Africa. Sage Journal, 1-9.

Mokhatle, M.I. et al. (2018). Exploring factors that promote the Blesser-Blessee phenomenon among TVET College Students. SA: Motheo TVET College.

Polit, D.F., & Beck, B.P. (2014). Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Ramjee, G.& Daniels, B. (2013). Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS Research and Therapy, 10, Article 30. Doi: 10.1186/1742-6405-10-30.

Rudman, L.A. (2017). Myths of Sexual Economic Theory: Implications for Gender Equality. Online publication. Available on https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684317714707.

About the Author

Jive Lubbungu is a researcher and lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University in Kabwe, Zambia. He is a PhD scholar and currently holds a Master of Literature (MA Lit) and a Bachelor of Arts with Education (BA. Ed) obtained from The University of Zambia. Jive’s area of research is comparative literature and contemporary issues.

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• Hochschule: Kwame Nkrumah University
• Note: 1
• Autor: Jive Lubbungu (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2021
• Seiten: 6
• Katalognummer: V1130337
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346491015
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: blesser, blessee, phenomenon, women, empowerment, sexual, predatory, antics