Teenage girls know how to avoid pregnancy. That doesn’t mean they have powers to do it
Research conducted in South Africa and Zimbabwe suggests that teenage pregnancy is driven more by structural poverty and gender inequality than by a lack of contraceptive knowledge. The study argues that interventions must address the socio-economic constraints that limit young women's choices.
Why it matters
This perspective challenges traditional narratives about teenage pregnancy, advocating for systemic social change rather than just educational programs.
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TEENAGE pregnancy is often explained in simple terms. Girls are said to lack knowledge about contraception, take sexual risks or make poor choices.
But is it that simple? For almost three decades, I have been researching how gender and sexuality come to matter in the lives of young people in South Africa.
My collaborators and I are currently working on The Teenage Pregnancy Project: Classroom, Cradles and Care and related projects on teenage fathers and caregivers. These projects seek to examine how pregnancy and parenting is experienced and understood by teenage fathers, mothers and their caregivers. The research is conducted mainly in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa with linked projects in Zimbabwe. It involves interviews and group discussions including the use of visual methods to understand teenage pregnancy.
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