Effect of Early Sexual Debut on High School Completion in South Africa

Abstract

Early sexual debut is of major concern because it is a correlate for health and economic shocks experienced in adulthood. In South Africa, this concern has provided impetus for research directed at the HIV and AIDS epidemic, teenage pregnancy and the effect of adolescent sexual behaviour on persistence in school. Of interest to the present study is high school completion, which is a well-established empirical barometer of adult socioeconomic opportunities. Using data from the five waves of the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS), this paper examines the association between sexual behaviours initiated in pre- and early adolescence and high school completion rates. The CAPS study is a longitudinal survey that was designed to investigate young people's (aged 14-22 years) educational attainment and sexual behaviours in Cape Town, South Africa. The sample was constituted from 3213 individuals who had initiated sex during their teenage years and the analysis was undertaken when the youngest cohort was aged 21, an age at which they should have completed high school if they were on time. Logistic regression models were fitted separately for males and females. Overall, the results reveal that early sexual debut is correlated with long-term negative educational outcomes. Individuals who experience early sexual debut are less likely to complete high school than their counterparts who make their sexual debut later on in life. This effect is worse for Africans, who also disproportionately have an earlier sexual debut than other race groups. Apart from race however, the findings also reinforce the effect of other demographic factors on high school completion, namely, place of residence and family socioeconomic status as measured by parental education and household income. Hence, early sexual debut adds another layer of inequality and worsens the plight of Africans, females, those living in rural areas and those who come from low-income families.

Lusting, learning and lasting in school: sexual debut, school performance and dropout among adolescents in primary schools in Karonga district, northern Malawi

“…Similar findings were observed among secondary school students in southern Malawi, where sexual activity among girls, and not boys, was found to be associated with school dropout (Frye, 2017). Analysis of longitudinal data from the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS) in South Africa showed that those who engaged in early sex were less likely to complete secondary school (Bengesai et al, 2017). In Kenya, girls' perceptions of gender equality and how they were treated in school were shown to influence their decision to engage in premarital sex, although no such association was seen among boys (Mensch et al, 2001).…”

Understanding HIV risks among adolescent girls and young women in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya: Lessons for DREAMS

“…These findings corroborate earlier findings showing prevalent high risk sexual behaviours among young people living in Nairobi’s slums [ 7 , 15 , 23 ]. In addition to impacting other social outcomes such as school completion [ 24 ] and unintended pregnancies, early sexual debut is associated with a higher risk of HIV [ 25 ]. Previous studies suggest that early sexual debut may be driven by early exposure to sexual activity as parents are often forced to share sleeping space with their children, when living conditions are crowded [ 7 ].…”

The Association between Family Structure Changes and High School Completion in South Africa

“…Education is a crucial element in human capital development, the basis for skills development and is both a catalyst and essential for the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Sterling 2016). High school completion is critical as it is the path towards post-secondary school education and ultimately, the labour market (Bengesai et al 2018;Clark and Mathur 2012). For instance, there is empirical evidence which suggests that individuals who do not graduate from high school have bleak economic prospects (Stats SA 2014).…”

“…This status quo suggests that there are still significant barriers in educational attainment prompting the following questions: What are some of the factors that influence high school completion and why are some learners more successful than others? Existing research has attempted to answer these questions, focusing mainly on the association between educational attainment and school quality, demographic factors, family background, in particular, parental education, as well as sexual behaviour (Bengesai et al 2018;Weybright et al 2017;Spaull 2015;Branson et al 2014;Marteleto et al 2008). However, the effect of other family dynamics, such as family structure, and in particular, family structure disruption is less explored.…”