- Title
- Pregnancy among young women in South Africa
- Creator
- Macleod, Catriona I
- Creator
- Tracey, Tiffany
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date Issued
- 2014
- Date
- 2014
- Type
- text
- Type
- book chapter
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434371
- Identifier
- vital:73052
- Identifier
- ISBN 978-1-4899-8025-0
- Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8026-7
- Description
- In 1994, South Africa witnessed its first democratic elections after centuries of colonial and then apartheid rule. As time passes since that euphoric moment in 1994, the difficulties of transformation have become evident. In terms of sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS is acknowledged as one of the most significant challenges, with South Africa having one of the highest infection rates globally. Pregnancy among teenage women is receiving increasing attention as well. For example, public concern has been expressed that the recently introduced Child Support Grant (CSG) acts as a ‘perverse incentive’ for young women to bear children. This emotional claim was refuted by separately commissioned reviews of research on girls who received the grant. National statistics paint an interesting picture that negates the popular opinion in South Africa that rates of teenage pregnancy and childbearing are escalating. The 1998, the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) indicated that 35 % of women had had a child by the age of 19 years, while in the 2003 SADHS survey, this had decreased to 27 %. The rights-based approach adopted by the South African government to sexual and reproductive health enshrines a young woman’s right to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, to plan a pregnancy with her partner should they wish, to make an independent decision concerning the outcome of a pregnancy, to terminate that pregnancy safely should she wish, and to access non-discriminatory prenatal and postnatal care should she take the pregnancy to term. While there are still many obstacles and challenges associated with the issues of ‘adolescent pregnancy,’ it is important to remember the success represented by, and that arises from, this rights-based legislation.
- Format
- 16 pages
- Format
- Publisher
- Springer
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Macleod, C. and Tracey, T., 2014. Pregnancy among young women in South Africa. International Handbook of Adolescent Pregnancy: Medical, Psychosocial, and Public Health Responses, pp.545-561
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the SpringerLink Terms of Use Statement ( https://link.springer.com/termsandconditions)
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Collections
Gender Action Forum (GENACT)
Macleod, Catriona Ida (Distinguished Professor)
SDG 05. Gender Equality
RU Department of Psychology
RU Books and Book Chapters
RU DST/NRF SARChI for Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproductions Research (CSSR) Programme
SDG 03. Good Health and Well-Being
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