Gay-vroue

Since very little knowledge about lesbianism in South Africa is available and since to date, no empirical sociological study of this phenomenon has been conducted in this country, the HSRC, at the suggestion of the SAISDCR, decided in 1977 to launch a research programme concerning this variant of sexual behaviour. The aim of this study is therefore to collect information directly from lesbians in order to make available sociological knowledge of female homosexuality in South Africa. Furthermore, it is attempted by means of a qualitative technique - an autobiographical sketch - and a qualitative procedure - analytical induction - methodologically to justify the current study more fully than is usually the case with sociological studies of deviant behaviour carried out in this country. When employing a qualitative rather than a quantitative methodology, more control can be exercised over information gathered about deviant behaviour than is the case when material (such as official statistics) which has been collected by persons from other disciplines is used. In addition, by means of the autobiographical sketch one can understand (more fully) the innermost experiences of deviant persons, that is the manner in which they describe, interpret and live in the world around them.