Munala Leso, Mwangi Esther, Harris Margaret, Okunna Nene, Yewhalawork Bethlehem, Ong'ombe Maureen
Department of Public Health, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN, United States.
Department of Health Studies, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Front Glob Womens Health. 2022 Aug 16;3:942635. doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2022.942635. eCollection 2022.
Sexual cleansing is part of the social transition process for widows to become eligible to remarry after the death of her husband. This ritual is conducted to cleanse the widow of evil spirits resulting from the death of her husband. This qualitative study explored the sexual cleansing ritual in the Luo community in southwest Kenya. This paper aims to examine the widows' perceptions of the social constructs surrounding the practice of the sexual cleansing ritual that maintains its continued existence in this community. Twenty-seven face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with widows who had undergone sexually cleansing. Data was analyzed using conventional content analysis. Three main themes emerged in the exploration of the social construction of the sexual cleansing ritual of widows. The findings therein highlight the precarious situation of widows and the need for social support services for women who have been sexually cleansed.
性净化是寡妇在丈夫死后获得再婚资格的社会过渡过程的一部分。举行这个仪式是为了净化寡妇身上因丈夫死亡而产生的恶灵。这项定性研究探讨了肯尼亚西南部卢奥社区的性净化仪式。本文旨在研究寡妇对围绕性净化仪式实践的社会建构的看法，正是这些社会建构使得该仪式在这个社区持续存在。对27名经历过性净化的寡妇进行了面对面的深度访谈。采用常规内容分析法对数据进行了分析。在对寡妇性净化仪式的社会建构探索中出现了三个主要主题。其中的研究结果凸显了寡妇的不稳定处境，以及为经历过性净化的女性提供社会支持服务的必要性。
