Abstract:
The title of this study is “Masculinity in Sunglen Chabalala’s Xitsonga music songs”. The main problem of this study is the prevalence of masculinities in women- composed songs. According to Johnson (2018), there are social and cultural expectations associated with being male or female. They dictate the behaviours, tasks, and responsibilities considered appropriate for women and men in a given society (Johnson, 2018). Gender roles can vary widely across different cultures and historical periods (Johnson, 2018). The purpose of this study was to analyse the way men are portrayed by a female Xitsonga music composer in her songs. The sample of this study comprised of five songs by Sunglen Chabalala. The main reason for the selection of these songs was to point out that even in an era of democracy women are still abused and not protected by the men that they live with. The songs were analysed to identify their themes and how masculinities are portrayed in the selected song lyrics. In this study, a qualitative research design was used by the researcher, to explore the masculinities in five selected Xitsonga songs. This study is foregrounded in the Feminist literary theory. The study found out that most men still abuse their spouses financially, emotionally, physically and psychologically.
