Adolescent Girls’ Experiences Regarding Teenage Pregnancy in the Rural Villages of Limpopo Province, South Africa
Abstract
:1. Introduction and Background
1.1. Problem Statement
1.2. Purpose of the Study
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Setting
2.2. Population
2.3. Sampling Method
2.4. Sample Size
2.5. Data Collection Process
Measures to Ensure Trustworthiness
2.6. Ethical Considerations
2.7. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Theme 1: Sexual Abuse as Other Causes for Teenage Pregnancy
“I got pregnant after having sex with my father because he believes his ancestors told him that before all his daughters get married, they must have sex with him to teach us what to expect out there. You won’t believe that our mother knows about it, and she keeps quiet, so nothing was done.”
“I was locked in the same room with my stepfather, and he had sex with me forcefully under my mother’s watch and she was willing to beat me should I try to resist, it was so painful that was my first sexual encounter and I later found out that I am pregnant.”
“I was made to sleep with the traditional healer and fell pregnant and each time I look at this pregnancy it makes me recall the whole abuse.”
3.2. Theme 2: Socioeconomic Factors–A Licence for Teenage Pregnancy and Freedom
3.2.1. Subtheme 2.1: Feelings of Love and Trust for the Male Counterpart
“Failing pregnant was proof enough to my boyfriend that I love him and thus condoms were not necessary, and he loves me too.”
“True love should have trust, and this is what we had with my boyfriend, and I fell pregnant, unfortunately when reporting the incidence to my family they immediately escorted me to his parents.”
3.2.2. Subtheme 2.2: The Need for Financial Security
“I did not have anywhere to go I had to have sex with this man in order to get a roof over my head.”
“When I left home to the university my aunt only gave me money for the bus, she did not even bother where I was going to sleep and on arrival, I met this man who appeared to be very good to me and before I could think he wanted to have sex with me and I fell pregnant. And I was safe for a while staying with him in his room.”
“I had a blesser who paid for my accommodation and gave me more money and I forgot about my poor background however he did not want us to use condoms and I felt pregnant.”
“In order to have money to pay for my room at school I had to sleep with a man, and unfortunately this man emphasized that no condom at all, and I fell pregnant. And I was pregnant away from home I ended up leaving school coming home.”
3.3. Theme 3: Cultural Factors to Which Adolescent Girls Are Susceptible
3.3.1. Subtheme 3.1: Menarche Is a Sign of Maturity and Readiness for Marriage
“One day I woke up with blood between my thighs and communicated with my family and friends, and I was told I am ready for marriage and at that time it didn’t make sense to me. However later in the year, my parents sent me to female initiation, and I was formally told I am a woman I can now get married.”
3.3.2. Subtheme 3.2: Forced or Arranged Marriage to a Rich Man as a Source of Wealth for an Adolescent Girl and the Family
“I am only 16 and I was forced to get married to an old man to be his fourth wife because he is rich and he will support my family financially, and immediately after the marriage I fell pregnant and my parents were excited.”
“I am an orphan and I have to take care of my siblings so the best option was to get married to a rich man be pregnant for him then and then I and my siblings will be able to have a source of money to meet our needs.”
“The grant we are getting it’s not enough so the other way of survival is to get married to a man who has more money, and this will help you support your family by buying them groceries every month end.”
“I am a teenage mother not by choice but pressure from my uncles to get married to a man they owed him money and as an orphan, I did not have any choice but to succumb and my brother was treated differently as a man there was no pressure for him to get married.”
“You won’t believe what happened I was forced to get married to an old man and that’s how I ended up with this child at my age.”
3.4. Theme 4: Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy
3.4.1. Subtheme 4.1: How Can I Turn Back the Clock? Depression and Feelings of Regret
“I was forced to marry a man I did not know nor love which made me battle with my feelings and ended up with depression, do you imagine having sex with someone you don’t love, it’s so painful.”
“I regret everything I don’t know how best I can change it, being forced to have sex with a stranger for monetary benefits for my parents, I ended up pregnant and the baby will serve as a reminder for the rest of my life.”
3.4.2. Subtheme 4.2: Sex as a Mode of Payment; a Traumatic Experience
“I was forced to have sex with the traditional healer who have treated my mother before her death as a mode of payment for the services when treating her and this resulted in me falling pregnant at the age of 15 a traumatic experience I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
3.4.3. Subtheme 4.3: Hatred towards Perpetrators
“My mother forced me to have sex with my stepfather after she locked me in the same room with him. I hate them (my mother and my stepfather)” (tears pouring from her eyes).
4. Discussion of Findings
4.1. Socioeconomic Factors—A Licence for Teenage Pregnancy and Freedom
4.2. Cultural Factors to Which Female Teens Are Susceptible
4.3. Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy
4.4. Recommendations
4.5. Contribution/Implications of the Study
5. Limitations
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Risenga, P.R.; Mboweni, S.H. Adolescent Girls’ Experiences Regarding Teenage Pregnancy in the Rural Villages of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Adolescents 2023, 3, 60-71. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3010004
Risenga PR, Mboweni SH. Adolescent Girls’ Experiences Regarding Teenage Pregnancy in the Rural Villages of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Adolescents. 2023; 3(1):60-71. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3010004
Chicago/Turabian StyleRisenga, Patrone Rebecca, and Sheillah Hlamalani Mboweni. 2023. "Adolescent Girls’ Experiences Regarding Teenage Pregnancy in the Rural Villages of Limpopo Province, South Africa" Adolescents 3, no. 1: 60-71. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3010004