Making a Case for the Critical Examination of Assignments of Responsibilities in the Reproductive Realm: Insights From South Sudan

Abstract

Drawing on interviews with purposefully selected informants (n = 44) and on focus group discussions (n = 5), this article critically examines and reflects upon the gendered assignments of responsibilities in the reproductive realm, in the context of South Sudan. Through this examination, it provides insight into the social practices of assigning and apportioning responsibilities in the reproductive realm; it exposes the nature of social relations, social positions, and vulnerabilities they signal, and the normative expectations they communicate, reiterate, and reproduce. In doing so, the social inequalities and entrenched gendered privileges in the society are made visible. The article argues that the ongoing social disruption in South Sudan offers a unique opportunity for intervening to renegotiate and reestablish a more equitable social compact. A case is made for public health policies to prioritize social interventions which challenge patriarchal privilege without simplistically problematizing men's roles and actions in the reproductive realm.

‘You have a child who will call you “mama” ’: understanding adolescent pregnancy in South Sudan

“…Such an approach may also offer opportunities to engage constructively with peer norm processes among girls (adolescents and younger girls). Another important way forward, as detailed in our earlier work [20], would be to engage adolescent boys and men around notions of reproductive responsibility in ways such that they can appreciate the broader societal benefits, and their own 'emancipatory interests' [37,38].…”

“…The project was implemented between 2012 and 2016 and was geared towards supporting the State Ministries of Health of three states (including WBeG) to improve the quality and responsiveness of the sexual and reproductive health services. Findings from research done amongst adults have been reported earlier [17][18][19][20]. Insights from this research, particularly about how social norms and gender relations shape women's sexual and reproductive health in South Sudan, have also extensively informed this inquiry; it particularly helped us to develop the interview questions and to locate the analysis in the broader social context of the study community.…”

“…For consent amongst adolescents, we followed the World Health Organization's guidance that [20], 'where adolescents are or are about to be sexually active, investigators commit no legal offence in undertaking research that promises a favorable benefit-risk ratio', and 'If adolescents are mature enough to understand the purpose of the proposed study and the involvement requested, then they are mature enough to consent.' Further, Bruzzese & Fisher [39] argue that unlike younger adolescents, those over 16 can make informed decisions as well as adults; others concur [40] that adolescents above 16 should be allowed to decide for themselves where the risk of harm or discomfort from the research is minimal, and the questions are unlikely to be offensive to most adolescents (this was the case in this study).…”