Participants in the study

3.4.1 Definition criteria for participants in the study

The participants in this research study were drawn based on the following defining criteria: Muslim women, married, between the ages of 20 – 35, educated (a university degree or a technical diploma) and employed. In order to provide a counterpoint to the wife’s account of her identity, the husbands of the participants were interviewed as well. These couples are representative of an upwardly mobile middle class community. While it was not a definition criteria at the outset of the study, it emerged that all of women

participants in the study were veiled (i.e. they practiced the Islamic sunnah7 _{of covering}

their hair).

In defining the criteria for participants in the study, the rationale was to understand how social institutions impacted on constructions of identity. In studying women who were Muslim, married, educated and employed, the idea was to explore how each of these positions, ‘positions’ a woman in a specific way in relation to her world. From a social constructionist perspective, as noted by Stevens (1996), the self is continually shaped and reshaped through interactions with others and through involvement in social and cultural activities. As a result, culture, history and society have a definite impact on our

psychology as individuals (Stevens, 1996).

In order to obtain a deeper understanding of the identity constructions of Muslim women various social manifestations were used to guide the discussion. These were the social institutions of religion, gender, globalisation, culture, marriage, education and

employment. The use of these social phenomena to understand the identity construction

7_{Sunnah refers to an Islamic practice that is based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed} (Peace be upon Him)

of Muslim women served two purposes. Firstly, they served as topics and allowed for the examination of the ways in which the participants talked about or constructed identity. Secondly, they were used as a resource to gain an understanding of the manner in which Muslim women reconciled the various subject positions that are presented within these discourses with their experience as Muslim women living in South Africa. According to Seale (1998) it is perfectly acceptable to treat interviews as potentially both topic and resource.

Being Muslim brings with it a set of religious and cultural expectations of womanhood that may differ from those presented at university or at work. In addition, the process of globalisation coupled with South Africa’s emergence from the apartheid period has provided local Muslim women with new arenas for identification. The age group was ascertained based on the concept that during the period of early adulthood individuals are more likely to be engaged in grappling with the numerous subject positions that are available to them, for example, Muslim, professional, wife or mother.

3.4.2 Procedure for selecting participants

The selection of participants in this study was purposive because of the personal nature of the topic to be studied. The method used for obtaining a sample was a non-probability one, and utilised a snowball technique. Snowball sampling is a method for identifying and sampling the cases in a network (Neuman, 1997). While this method of sampling was most applicable for the study with regard to targeting an appropriate group of Muslim couples who fit the definition criteria and who would provide insight into the research questions, there was one shortcoming in accessing participants in this manner. The participants in this study represented a particular network of people and couples outside this network, who may have presented differently, were not accessed.

In considering a pool of participants for the study three alternatives were explored:
Approaching an Islamic social responsibility institution, such as the Islamic Careline for

referrals to couples who had made use of their services;

Approaching Muslim women within the University of the Witwatersrand employee community; and

Approaching couples within the students’s social circle who would then provide referrals to couples within their social circles.

However, the ethical pitfalls inherent within each of these considerations excluded them from being viable options. Utilising referrals from the Islamic Careline was rejected due to the possibility that constructions of identity may be coloured by the prevailing problem in

each couple’s life and that the nature of the topic may highlight further inadequacies in the couple’s relationship. In addition, on approaching the Careline, it emerged that the definition criteria for participants fit very few of their clients. Drawing a sample from the University would have been convenient, but would not have provided an adequate representation of women who work outside the University. Initially, the sample was to be drawn from the researcher’s social circle, by identifying four women who fit the criteria and who would then identify women in their social circle who fit the criteria. However, this presented its own difficulty in that there was a risk of participants socialising with the student and, given the sensitive nature of the topic, this was not an ideal scenario.

During initial contact with the Islamic Careline, a representative from the social services department of the Careline agreed to meet with the student to discuss the possibilities of the research. Once the nature of the study was explained to her, she indicated that the nature of her work meant that she was part of a network of a number of Muslim women who fit the selection criteria for the study. She then provided the student with the contact details of female colleagues and associates. She agreed that they be informed that she had provided their details.

The proposed participants were contacted by telephone and the nature and purpose of the research was explained to the women. Four agreed immediately, while one

requested that she consult with her husband before committing to participating. Her husband requested that the student contact him directly. Once the nature, purpose and methodology were explained to him, he agreed to participate in the study.