Challenges and unheard voices of female massage therapists’ in Addis Ababa city administration, Ethiopia: A phenomenological study

Abstract

In Africa so many archeological evidences assert that massage therapy has been practiced since ancient time, for the purpose of  medication. Currently, people in African countries use massage as an illicit sex business activity. Massage work is one of the growing  business activities in Ethiopia and women become the main actors in the business. However, little is known about the challenges faced by  female massage therapists. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to capture the experiences of female massage therapists in Addis  Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. To meet the objective of the study, qualitative approach with phenomenology design was  employed. Ten female massage therapists were purposively selected and interviewed. The data was analyzed by using thematic  qualitative data analysis technique. The results indicated that female massage therapists encounters a number of challenges which  include social prejudice, sexual violence, psychological problem and health related challenges like sanitation and hygienic problems,  sexual transmitted infection and skin diseases. It was concluded that the working conditions of female massage therapists were  negatively impacted by the aforementioned problems. Therefore, corrective measures are to be taken by concerned bodies to redress the  problems.