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This study examines the use of induced abortion among Cameroonian adolescents and young women, based on biographical data collected in 1997 among young women and men residing in Yaoundé. Results suggest a high prevalence of abortion during adolescence and early adulthood (35 percent of all pregnancies reported). Although most clandestine abortions were performed by a physician or a nurse, the prevalence of abortion performed by nonmedical personnel or using unsafe methods is still high, and postabortion health complications are reported for about one-fourth of all abortions. Logistic regression models are used to examine the effect of women's, partners', and relationships' characteristics at the time of pregnancy on the odds that a pregnancy will be terminated through abortion. The analysis shows a significant effect of school enrollment, parity, and stability and social acknowledgment of the sexual relationship on the risk of having an abortion. Young men's involvement in decisions and their motivations concerning abortion are also examined.

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BACKGROUNDIn several African cities the prevalence of unmarried cohabitation among youth has risen considerably. Because of its potentially negative implications for women and their children, in some countries cohabitation has even become a matter of heated public debate and policy concern. In contrast to industrialized countries, however, the choice between marriage and cohabitation in the region has attracted little attention. OBJECTIVESThe purpose of the study is to explore the rising phenomenon of young, unmarried, cohabiting couples in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, and to evaluate how characteristics of both partners involved in a dating relationship affect the choice between marriage and non-marital cohabitation when forming a first union. METHODSBased on life history data including unique relationship biographies, the study takes a competing risks approach to examine relationship transitions to a first marriage or unmarried cohabitation. RESULTSA long spell of unmarried cohabitation is common among youth in Ouagadougou today, and children's exposure to cohabitation is high. While occupation, especially male occupation, is a crucial determinant of entry into union -having a similar effect on marriage and cohabitation risks -partners' educational attainment, ethnic endogamy, and religion significantly affect the choice between marriage and cohabitation. CONCLUSIONSIdeational changes rather than economic ones motivate youth to choose cohabitation instead of marriage. Cohabitation in Ouagadougou has not become the "poor man's wedding", as Oppenheimer's hypothesis would suggest, but rather the preferred choice of dating couples who are more willing and able to distance themselves from familial expectations and marital norms.