Unplanned Pregnancies among urban Zulu Schoolchildren: A summary of the Salient Results from a Preliminary Investigation

"She Drank His Money": Survival Sex and the Problem of Violence in Taverns in Gauteng Province, South Africa

“…The general silence that shrouds sexuality in southern Africa contributes to an acceptance of violence against women. Numerous studies have indicated that this silence prevents open discussion of sexual matters (Craig and Richter-Strydom 1983;Gay 1986;Gluckman 1950;Preston-Whyte and Zondi 1992;Varga 1997;Webb 1997;Xaba 1994). Although many African societies had a "culture of discretion" concerning sexual matters in the precolonial era, to a large extent, secrecy concerning sex was enhanced by Christian missionary influences (Ajen 1998:129-130;Epprecht 1998:637).…”

The ‘Causes’ of Teenage Pregnancy: Review of South African Research — Part 2

“…As would be expected, a large majority of pregnant teenagers were not using any form of contraception at the time of conception (Craig & Richter-Strydom, 1983a, 1983bMkhize, 1995;Mogotlane, 1993), although many knew that there were ways of preventing pregnancy (Makhetha, 1996;Setiloane, 1990). Reasons cited for the lack of use of contraceptives vary.…”

“…Seabela (1990) and Boult and Cunningham (1992) report that two-thirds of their samples of 100 and 145 pregnant teenagers respectively were ignorant concerning the relationship between menstruation, coitus, fertility and conception at the time of conception. Craig and Richter-Strydom (1983a;1983b) describe a higher percentage lacking this sort of information (82% of the 212 pregnant teenagers interviewed), O'Mahoney (1987) a slightly lower ratio (12 ono pregnant teenagers).…”

“…While Setiloane (1990) found that the two most commonly stated reasons were disapproval by either partner or parents, these reasons were quoted in only 4% of cases in Craig and Richter-Strydom's (1983a) study. Other stated reasons cited by various authors (Craig & Richter-Strydom, 1983a, 1983bMkhize, 1995;Mogotlane, 1993;Mosidi, 1992;Seabela, 1990) include: the unplanned nature of the sexual encounter; a lack of knowledge concerning contraceptives; fear of the health risks associated with certain contraceptives; personal fable (believing that it would not happen to them); fear of going to the clinic because of the image factor; lack of trust in the nurses concerning confidentiality; and religious reasons. Carolissen (1993) believes that the cultural value placed on fertility (see later discussion) tied to the concern that contraceptives cause infertility accounts for much of the avoidance of contraceptives.…”

“…However, most did not want a baby, citing reasons such as a lack of preparedness or a desire to complete studies. Craig and Richter-Strydom (1983a;1983b), in their survey of school children, found a gendered discrepancy in this regard. The girls did not regard proving their fertility as important, while 30% of the boys agreed with the statement 'Boys will only marry a girl if she has proved her fruitfulness'.…”