CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.4 SAMPLE
This study relied on a non-probability sampling technique. According to Given (2008), nonprobability sampling is the most common sampling technique in qualitative research.
Purposive sampling is one of the types of non-probability sampling (Ritchie et al. 2013).
Purposive sampling was used to select my sample frame by choosing the sample based on who I thought would be appropriate for the study. Sarandakos (1998: 152) describes purposive sampling as a technique where researchers “choose subjects who in their opinion are thought
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to be relevant to the research topic”. Thus, purposive sampling consists of intentionally selecting the sample based on the “researcher’s interests” because they meet a number of criteria for insertion in the research (Amisi, 2005). In this study, the inclusion was based on pre-established criteria such as being a Congolese migrant woman or man who had been living in Durban (Point area) for a minimum of four years, single or married, educated or not, different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and different occupations. These criteria were relevant in terms of people’s day-to-day challenges in the practice of preserving virginity before marriage and the perception of this practice by married women. The researcher used her own judgment to assess participant’s suitability based on the levels of engagement that the participants showed during discussions about the study.
It is often not practical or possible to study an entire population so it becomes necessary to make general findings based on a study of only a subset of the population known as a sample (Mungela, 2011). This research explored the perception of Congolese migrant women by means of interviewing a sample of unmarried and married migrant women and men. My sample frame was thus drawn from a pool of Congolese migrants living in Durban. Their ages ranged from 18 years old and above.
The sample was originally intended to be 20 migrant Congolese women living in Durban from the different cultures so as to provide a rich understanding of their perception about virginity.
However, while on the field work, I only managed to interview a total of 14 women and four men. In terms of composition, the 18 interviewees consisted of three married men and one unmarried man participated, along with eight unmarried women and six married women. This makes a total of 18 participants. This was because many women were not willing to consent to be interviewed due to deepened patriarchal Congolese cultures and religions. Therefore most women were scared to open up about their sexual life to a stranger as they also feared for their marriages and family well-being. Rosaldo (1974) states that cultural and religious expressions of sexual asymmetry may be associated with patriarchal economic occupations, but they are often found in other social domains as well. Therefore in an attempt to obtain to the targeted sample size, readily available men who willingly consented to be interviewed were then included in the study. This did not only assist to attain the required sample size but it also facilitated the collection of gender diversified data which helped to address the study’s objective – determining if Congolese migrant women continue the practice of virginity preservation before marriage in foreign societies.
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The sample consisted of two subgroups to provide comparative information on the perceptions of Congolese migrant women on the culture of preserving virginity until marriage. The first sample comprised 8 younger, unmarried Congolese women and one unmarried man between the ages of 18 and 43, who had been living in Durban for a minimum of four years. This subgroup was in a position to discuss first-hand what their perceptions were of preserving virginity until they were married. The second sample comprised 6 married Congolese women and 3 married men of any age over 18, who had been living in Durban for a minimum of four years. It was expected that this second subgroup would be in a position to discuss from experience, what their perceptions were, and still are, of preserving virginity until they were married. This second subgroup also provided the researcher with an insight into the efforts they put into place to reinforce their daughters’ practice of preserving virginity until marriage Faith ministries premises at 45 Morrison Road was used to conduct interviews with the participants. The researcher chose this church because of its location (Point area) and also because it is the biggest Congolese church within this area with 20 years of existence. Most Congolese women residing in Point area belong to this church. The location was accessible, safe and convenient to most participants and the researcher. Eleven participants were interviewed at the church. It is no secret that most African churches are patriarchal; women are still restricted to normalised feminine gender roles and expected to be passive and loyal.
Bearing those gendered religious boundaries, during data collection process, that could potentially limit participants to voicing out their sexual affairs and bring about religious-biased data, I decided to include some voices from outside of the church. As a result, three participants did not belong to the church research site but were, instead, drawn from the RSS1 offices and four from their homes. This is, out of the 18 participants interviewed, a total of 11 participants were sampled from the Church and a total of 7 from outside of the Church.
Table 4.1 and Table 4.2 show the profiles of the in-depth interviews and the focus group interviews respectively.
Table 4.1: In-depth Interview Participants
59 Name of
participant
Sex Age Level of education
Employment Marital status
Charlotte F 18 Matric ________ Unmarried
Antoinette F 19 1st year
student _________ Unmarried
Josee F 32 Graduate Unemployed Unmarried
Georgette F 21 2nd year
student _________ Unmarried
Ilunga F 29 _________ Hair dresser Married
Germaine F 26 Graduate Unemployed Unmarried
Melanie F 40 ________ Hair dresser Unmarried
Innocente F 43 Graduate Unemployed Unmarried
Marie F 20 Matric Hair dresser Unmarried
Jacob M 24 3rd year
student __________ Unmarried
Table 4.2: Focus Group Interview Participants Name of
participant
Sex Age Level of education
Employment Marital status
Armandie F Early 30’s Matric Unemployed Married
Judith F Early 40’s Graduate Unemployed Married
Gracia F Early 40’s Matric Unemployed Married
Adele F Early 30’s Matric Hair dresser Married
Nadine F Late 30,s Matric Hair dresser Married
Jean M 48 _____ Car guard Married
Pierrot M 40 _____ Car guard Married
Claude M 31 ____ Car guard Married