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Shoo! Talking about Teenagers, Risky Sex and Pregnancy in South Africa | IPS Writers in the Blogosphere

How is it possible that we know the correct behavior or the healthiest practice and yet we don’t follow it?

Wait! Is it human nature or just lack of discipline?

This happens to me in the area of … yes, weight gain! No amount of knowledge I acquire or books I read help me to get off my rollercoaster ride of weight gain and loss.

Well, I see teenage pregnancy in South Africa in the same light. Having loads of information is not enough to change our behaviour.

Teenage pregnancy is not just an issue of reproductive health, but rooted in women’s gendered social environment.Credit Mercedes Sayangues

Teenage pregnancy is not just an issue of reproductive health, but rooted in women’s gendered social environment.Credit Mercedes Sayangues

One would think that young people today have enough tools to avoid unwanted pregnancy: contraception is available and sexual health information is a fingertip or a cell phone away.

But many girls still fall pregnant before finishing high school. In 2011 alone, more than 51,000 school girls, mostly black and poor, gave birth in South Africa, according to the United Nations Population Fund. This not only endangers their education and their future but places a huge burden on their families.

The number of 51,000 pregnant school girls means that as many boys and men impregnated them. Hey, it takes two to tango.

Shoo!

Why does this happen? What perpetuates this cycle? My curiosity led me to research.

An insightful study from 2009 by researchers Jewkes, Morrell and Christofides aptly summed it up: “Teenage pregnancy is not just an issue of reproductive health and young women’s bodies but, rather, one of its causes and consequences, rooted in women’s gendered social environment.”

Sad but true. Our environment influences young women hugely. In some South African communities, young women are pressured to prove their fertility at a young age, and so they fall pregnant, simultaneously risking the dangers of sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

And if that’s not enough, they are often left to raise the babies alone because the father is ”unknown” – a term for saying that he is either married, or not ready to assume this responsibility, or does not want a child, or is still too young so he gets to continue with his education – while she (the expecting mother) likely drops out of school to care for the baby.

In addition, young women have to wrestle with the societal expectations that they must be conservative and passive.

We are also expected to prove our social status – to look a certain way, wear certain clothes, and be seen possessing certain material things.  Dating someone older to provide these status symbols or necessities seems the easier route – no matter the cost.

However, experience has taught me otherwise: nothing is ever for mahala, meaning there are no freebies in life. What you do today will determine your future.

Check these figures reported last week about AIDS in South Africa:

  • Among teenagers, girls have eight times the HIV infection rate than their male peers.
  • Girls aged 15-19 are more likely than boys the same age to have sex, and sex with older men.
  • Condom use has dropped significantly among young people.

To change this gut-wrenching reality, we must ask some hard questions:

  • Can we honestly see progress in South Africa when so many girls still fall pregnant and/or contract HIV daily?
  • Can we not take advantage of the booming social networks and other creative platforms to create safe spaces for dialogue around the real reasons why young black girls are falling pregnant today?

We should change our way of dealing with this sensitive social issue. Let us be less prescriptive about the young girls’ behaviours and meet them where they are.

Hearing their voices when messages and programmes are designed will help us address the real issues behind teenage pregnancy in South Africa. 

To walk the talk, I am developing an interactive session for a group of high school students aged 14-17 in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. We use applied drama and theatre methods to build a platform for dialogue around teenage pregnancy. Will keep you posted!

Zandi Mqwathi

Zandi “Princess Zar” Mqwathi  is a confident, innovative young leader and a former radio personality with a zeal and drive to use her craft and experiences to educate and empower other young women.