Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I bring the thoughts, realities and perspectives of young South African adults living in Cape Town as they explain what it means to be young during the COVID-19 pandemic, the high unemployment rates among their age group, as well as the new possible gender roles available to them.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, I bring the thoughts, realities and perspectives of young South African adults living in Cape Town. They explain, in semi-structured interviews, what it means to be young during the harsh reality of the pandemic and the high unemployment rates among their age group, as well as the new possible gender roles available to them. They describe the present from the perspective of their intersectional identities, affective and family relationships, faith and (lack of) work. They talk about intergenerational clashes, coexistence and cultural/ethnic differences in a city like Cape Town and what kind of bonds they want to build in the future.

This paper is part of my ongoing Ph.D. research in which I have been looking at the landscape of intergenerational affective, sexual and material exchanges in South Africa and Brazil. The paper is based on virtual and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with young adults in Cape Town and surrounding areas carried out between November 2021 and March 2022.