young women's educational, health, social and economic futures. It can keep them from continuing or finishing school and thus from pursuing further education and training.
suggest that schools, families and the wider community play a critical role in determining what decision a young woman will make. Support and encouragement can keep them in school while stigmatisation and exclusion push them out entirely.For my study I conducted in-depth interviews with 30 young women in an urban community in South Africa; 24 were in school when they found out they were pregnant. Their ages ranged from 15 to 20 years. In all but one case, their pregnancies were unintended.
Being able to organise childcare for babies was an important determinant for remaining at school. The, which currently amounts to R480 per month and is awarded through means testing, increased the agency of young mothers to find care for their babies in local creches or paid caregivers, especially in urban areas, where kin were not always available for childcare.
The remaining five young women I interviewed permanently dropped out of school because of school policy, inability to manage the dual demands of motherhood and schooling, and lack of support to care for their babies. Their decision was strongly influenced by the reactions of family, partners and friends.