Thematic Analysis of the Phenomenon of Asexuality - Essay Example

Running Head: THEMATIC ANALYSIS Thematic Analysis By Thematic Analysis: Exploratory Study of the Phenomenon of Asexuality 0 The Process of Analysis The fundamental undertaking in the process of the thematic analysis made in this paper, which is universal in application, is total familiarisation of the primary materials. This entails several readings and rereading of the interview transcripts which consists of the interviews of seven participants labeled as Participant Nos. 9, 10, 23, 25, 32, 38, and 68. The first reading was done in a skimming manner to get an overview and a profile of what the interviews were all about, the number of the participants, the type of questions asked, and the length of the respective answers. The second reading was done more carefully, with an emphasis on understanding what the answers were. On the third reading, a different tact was taken by reading only the same question and answer from every transcript and noting the differences and the similarities of the participants’ answers. The interviews actually posed seven questions to the participants and needless to say, there were also seven answers corresponding to the questions. For example, the first question in every transcript for every interview is “How would you define your gender identity?” This question and the answers to them by the seven participants were the first items to be taken. To make the eventual classification of these answers easier, seven pieces of similar sized papers were used. In each piece of paper, the answer of the every participant was written. The same process was also observed for the next questions so that there were seven sets of papers corresponding to the answers of the seven questions, consisting of seven pieces of paper each for every interviewee’s answer. The papers were, of course, properly labeled and tagged as to the participant number and question number. To proceed with the process of the thematic analysis, the first question and therefore the first set of papers were studied. The answers were again read, noting particularly their similarities and differences. Answers with similarities were grouped together. For the first question, for example (i.e., How would you define your gender identity?), the answers were grouped together into three. Each group of answers for the first questions was scrutinised carefully and examined for their similarities. The next step was to give a label or tag to the similarities that underpin them. For the first set of answers, for example, the label of Sex was attributed because these answers equated their gender identity with the Sex that they were born with. The second set of answers for the first question was tackled next and the title of Gebder Neutral was given to them because the answers neither took into account the male or female gender but as neuter. On the other hand, the third set of answers was labeled as Combination of Sexes (actually there was only participant who gave this answer) because the participant thinks of herself as both male and female. The same process of grouping and labeling was likewise made for the subsequent questions and their corresponding answers. As much as possible, short tags were given to the groupings but there were instances when longer labels had to be given to express the real underpinning of the answers. Finally, the last phase of the process was writing down the analysis. As can be subsequently seen in this paper, the analysis was arranged chronologically by question, with the analysis of the answers for a particular question following it. 2.0 Defining Gender Identity In this section, the seven interviewees were asked how they respectively define their gender identity, whether as male, female or without gender identification. The answers can be classified into three: Sex; Gender Neutral, and; Combination of the Sexes. 2.1 Gender Identity as Sex Of the seven interviewees, six were females and one was male. Four of them equate gender identity to their sex. Thus, three of the women describe their gender identity as female and the lone man identifies himself as male, notwithstanding their lack of sexual orientation. One of the women even proudly describes herself as “an attractive, feminine, very independent, free thinking asexual woman, who does not look her age.” The rest simply define themselves as simply male or female without any qualifications. 2.2 Gender Identity as Neutral Two of the seven interviewees define their gender identity as gender neutral or neither male or female. Although both accept that anatomically they are females, they are not personally inclined, however, to think of themselves as one because as one participant puts it, she simply does not “fit in thoughts and interests” as either female or male. On the other hand, she feels the effects of the woman gender when she encounters “gender bias for being a female in male fields.” Another participant publicly presents herself to others as a tomboy because “it is easier to function in society” as one rather than as gender neutral, which would entail more complication. 2.2 Gender Identity as Combination of the Sexes The last of the interviewees identifies her gender identity as a combination of both male and female. Although Participant 10 admits she is female as far as her anatomy is concerned, she nevertheless possessed, according to her, traits and characteristics, some of which others see as female and some of which others see as male. Thus, she views herself as “a masculine feminine.” 3.0 Gender and Asexuality The interviewees were also asked how their gender affects their asexuality and if it does, in what way does gender affect it. The answers of the interviewees may be grouped into three broad categories: Gender Makes Asexuality More Difficult; Gender Makes Asexuality Less Difficult, and; Gender Does Not Affect Asexuality. 3.1 The Gender Makes Asexuality More Difficult Out of the seven interviewees, two claim that their gender has made the experience more difficult than if they belonged to the other gender. In both cases, the interviewees blame stereotyping for these difficulties. One participant says that people have boxed women’s role as having sex and babies whilst another claims that “people have no knowledge of asexuality” and therefore expects women to be married and have babies, otherwise they are labeled lesbians. Men, on the other hand, have long been accepted for embracing bachelorhood. 3.2 Gender Makes Asexuality Less Difficult One of the interviewees believes that her gender has made her experience of her asexuality less difficult than if she belongs to the opposite sex. Ironically, her reason is exactly the same as the previous interviewees: social stereotyping. Participant No. 10, who is a female, thinks that society nurtures the conception or the misconception that men are more sexual in nature than women who are expected to “hate it.” A female who is asexual, therefore, “would be more easily accepted in society as if it was the orientation of the female.” 3.3 The Gender Does Not Affect Asexuality A majority of the interviewees, however, are of the opinion that their gender does not make their experience of asexuality any more different that of the opposite gender. One of the reasons given, and this one coming from the only male interviewee, is that whilst people expect men to be sexual, they also expect the same from women. Another interviewee claims that people who have knowledge of her asexuality see her as no different from that of the asexual male although those who did not tend to stereotype her by lumping her with sexual women. Two other interviewees think that the experiences of the sexes in asexuality have no distinction because “gender identity and sexual orientation are two different things” and that “asexuality affects experience of gender than the other way around,” respectively. 4.0 Age and Asexuality Another question posed to the interviewees was whether age has any effect on their experience of asexuality at all. The question resulted in three kinds of answers: There is More Pressure on Younger People; There is More Pressure as One Grows Older, and; No Effect at All 4.1 There is More Pressure on Younger People The majority of the interviewees think that asexual people encounters more pressure during younger ages, eventually waning as one grows older. Most of them feel that people seem to equate youth with raging hormones and this naturally brings pressure to asexual people. When they are seen to be acting ‘strangely,’ people makes excuses for them and attributes this with “inexperience,” being “late bloomers,” and even being “sick in the head.” Furthermore, worried friends frequently attempt to hook them up with others thinking that shyness is the root cause. Nevertheless, one participant quips that being asexual at a young age had its blessings like school being easier when one does not have to fight both “raging hormones and school bullies” at the same time. Two of the participants say that being older makes people more accepting of asexuality and makes people less quizzical of one’s sexual lifestyle. 4.2 There is More Pressure as One Grows Older Two of the interviewees, however, have opposite views. Getting older, according to them, makes it more difficult to be asexual as one runs out of excuses for not engaging in things that the average woman or man does like dating or getting married. For example, a person could always use distraction in studies as an excuse for not going out on dates but these excuses become unavailable as one grows older and finishes school. 4.3 No Effect at All One of the participants, however, thought that age does not filter at all into the actual experience of asexuality as she saw that most people are ruled by the age theme as “they gotta get married by 26, gotta have kids at 29…” Being asexual, according to her frees her from being tied to any age because she finds no need to be married or have babies at certain ages. 5.0 Asexuality and Non-Asexual People in General The participants were also asked if their being asexual have any effect in their relationship with non-asexual people in general and the answers led to three kinds of answers: Tension; Mixed Effect and No Effect. 5.1 Tension Three of the interviewees describe the effect of their asexuality on their relationship with people in general as tension-filled which are the reason why they would rather keep their asexuality a secret from others. These participants feel that others may not really comprehend the term and “it might frighten them” because most people are “naturally afraid of anyone who is different” whilst to others, asexuality represent “foreign concepts.” This is so that one of the participants felt that she must be ready for either stress or rejection every time she needs to tell someone about it. 5.2 Mixed Effect Two participants report having gotten mixed reactions from people in general when being apprised of their asexuality. One says that people either disbelieved or just were just plain curious whilst another claims that people were generally just “puzzled but do not really disapprove.” The latter adds that rather than on people, her trouble lies with culture, ranging from literary fiction to movies to songs, which is most focused on sexual relationships. The remedy, according to her, is to deal and treat everything impersonally. 5.3 No Effect Two of the participants feel that there really is no effect of their asexuality with their relationships with people, in general as the people they had a chance to reveal themselves with “are totally cool.” 6.0 Asexuality and Non-Asexual Friends and Family Members The participants were asked this time if their relationship with their family and friends were affected by their asexuality. Four different answers came up relative to the question: Risky; Positive Vibes; The Need to Keep the Status Quo, and; No Answer. 6.1 Risky Two participants respond that they tried to keep their asexuality a secret because they anticipate that their friends and family will not take to the information kindly and understandingly. One participant sees her co-worker as a racist and will probably treat her in the same manner if she tells him about her asexuality whilst another participant feels that she would rather not add to all her misery by gambling on other’s opinion about her asexuality. 6.2 Positive Vibe One of the participants feels that telling her friends and family about her asexuality creates a feeling of relief and awareness of asexuality itself. 6.3 The Need to Keep the Status Quo Three of the participants feel that there really is no need to make a special effort to reveal their asexuality especially so when their friends and family do not question them about it. However, most of them are open to talking about it if their friends and family broach the subject. One feels that her friends and family do not really care and another thinks that her family sees her for what she is and can make their own assumptions. 7.0 Asexuality and Self-Concept At this point, the question goes back to the interviewees themselves and asked them how their asexuality relates to their persons. There were three different answers to this question: Individuality; Freedom, and; Does Not Make Any Difference. 7.1 Individuality Three of the participants think that their asexuality is part of their individuality that “there must be few, if any, other people in the world similarly close” to them and their dissimilarity from others are as natural as being in “a default mode.” One participant feels that being asexual is the last piece of the puzzle without which she would have been an incomplete person. 7.2 Freedom Two of the participants think that being asexual gives them freedom that others do not have. Participant 68 feels that being asexual gives her the freedom to be both alone and with others at anytime whilst Participant 9 feels she “can make any decision in life” because she does not have a husband or children to take care of. 7.3 Does Not Make Any Difference For one participant, however, her asexuality does not make any difference in her life other than living without any sexual preference. 8.0 Changes in the Perception of Asexuality over Time Finally, the interviewees were asked whether they have experienced any kind of evolution to their asexuality from the first time they have learned of their asexuality to the present. The answers were centered on the following: Acceptance, and; Diminished Expectation. 8.1 Acceptance For many of the participants, the passing of the years gave them the time to fully accept asexuality as part of their personality and individuality. For one participant, it was like having found her “lost tribe.” Some report having started out in life just like others, as heterosexuals or homosexuals but always felt something was lacking. Through the years, these participants have finally begun to accept and be comfortable with their asexuality, with one finally realising that he is “inescapably asexual.” 8.2 Diminished Expectation Surprisingly, one of the participants confided that the passage of time has made her realised that asexuality is “isn’t the always wonderful thing I anticipated it to be.” Read More