Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood in South Africa

Kaufman, Carol E.; Wet, Thea de; Stadler, Jonathan

doi:10.31899/pgy6.1038

Cited by 40 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Participants reported that it may be more acceptable for women to tell their male partners that condoms should be used to prevent pregnancy rather than HIV, as pregnancy prevention has become more normative among South African youth due to the desire to complete higher education (Kaufman, DeWet and Stadler 2001). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender norms in South Africa: implications for HIV and pregnancy prevention among African and Indian women students at a South African tertiary institution

Mantell

Needham

Smit

et al. 2009

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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In post-Apartheid South Africa, women are constitutionally guaranteed protections and freedoms that were previously unknown to them. These freedoms may have positive implications for women’s ability to negotiate sexual protection with partners and hence prevent unintended pregnancy and decrease their risk of HIV. Among tertiary institution students who are a relatively ‘privileged’ group, there is little information on gender norms that might shape responses to HIV prevention programmes. To elicit gender norms regarding women’s and men’s roles, condom and contraceptive use, sexual communication, and sexual pleasure, we conducted 10 semi-structured focus group discussions with African and Indian female tertiary institution students so as to understand how norms might be used to buttress HIV and pregnancy prevention. Participants reported dramatic changes in the structure of gender norms and relations with the formal recognition of women’s rights in the post-Apartheid context. These generational shifts in norms are supported by other research in South Africa. At the same time, women recognized the co-existence of traditional constructions of gender that operate to constrain women’s freedom. The perceived changes that have taken place provide an entry point for intervention, particularly for reinforcing emerging gender norms that promote women’s protection against unintended pregnancy and HIV/STIs.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender norms in South Africa: implications for HIV and pregnancy prevention among African and Indian women students at a South African tertiary institution

Mantell

Needham

Smit

et al. 2009

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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show abstract

“…This differs from many other African countries. Kaufman et al (2001) found that many South African girls return to complete their schooling after giving birth and that this is a function of support from the girl's family and paternal recognition of the child. In a recent study in rural South Africa, Madhavan and Thomas (2005) confirm that childbearing impedes school enrollment and schooling, but young mothers can succeed in their educational careers if provided with flexible child care options.…”

Section: Interconnections Between Sexual Debut Teen Pregnancy and Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Schooling Among Young People in Urban South Africa

Marteleto

Lam

Ranchhod

2008

Studies in Family Planning

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This study examines transitions in schooling, sexual activity, and pregnancy for adolescents and young adults in urban South Africa. The study analyzes data from the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS), a recently collected longitudinal survey of young adults and their families in metropolitan Cape Town. South African youth have high school enrollment rates through their teenage years, combined with relatively early sexual initiation, with most young people becoming sexually active while they are enrolled in school. Teen pregnancy rates are also relatively high, with almost all teen pregnancies being non-marital. We find that teen pregnancy is not entirely inconsistent with continued schooling, especially for African (black) women. Over 50% of African women who had a pregnancy at age 16 or 17 were enrolled in school the following year. We estimate probit regressions to identify the impact of individual and household characteristics on sexual debut, pregnancy, and school dropout between 2002 and 2005. We find that male and female students who performed better on a literacy and numeracy exam administered in 2002 were less likely to become sexually active and less likely to drop out of school by 2005. Surprisingly, 14-16 year-olds who had completed more grades in school in 2002, conditional on their age, were more likely to sexually debut by 2005, a potential indicator of peer effects resulting from the wide dispersion in age-for-grade in South African schools.

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“…These participants argued that women should protect themselves and justified this by stating that men do not like condoms. This ties in to research which found that attitudes to condom use in South Africa are negative and linked to notions of masculinity and male pleasure (Kaufman et al 2001, Shisana et al 2014. By drawing on this type of discourse, these participants were able to construct themselves as aware of the risks of HIV and unplanned pregnancy and responsible in terms of regular testing.…”

Section: Conclusion: Linking Risk To Responsibilitymentioning

confidence: 82%

Racing risk, gendering responsibility: a qualitative study of how South African students talk about sexual risk and responsibility

Riet

Nicholson

2014

African Journal of AIDS Research

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Individuals' perceptions of risk have implications for whether and how they engage with protective strategies. This study investigated how sexual risk, specifically HIV and pregnancy and responsibility for these risks were constructed in discussions across five groups of youth in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The qualitative study used focus groups and interviews with a sample of 28 tertiary level students and 7 peri-urban youth. The constructions of risk intersected with raced and gendered narratives around sexual risk and responsibility. These constructions were used by the participants to assign and displace responsibility for the risks of HIV and pregnancy, rendering some groups immune to these risks. This constitutes a form of stigmatisation and also has implications for participants' prevention practices.

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Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood in South Africa

Abstract: The authors are thankful for the comments of Cynthia B. Lloyd and Lutske Newton. They also gratefully acknowledge the generous support of USAID Cooperative Agreement No.

Cited by 40 publications

References 11 publications

Gender norms in South Africa: implications for HIV and pregnancy prevention among African and Indian women students at a South African tertiary institution

Gender norms in South Africa: implications for HIV and pregnancy prevention among African and Indian women students at a South African tertiary institution

Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Schooling Among Young People in Urban South Africa

Racing risk, gendering responsibility: a qualitative study of how South African students talk about sexual risk and responsibility

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