Embodied experiences of abstinence-only education: a case study of women in Uganda

ABSTRACT

There is a growing body of research, primarily from the U.S. context, indicating that abstinence-only education (AOE) is largely ineffective (Kohler, P. K., L. E. Manhart, and W. E. Lafferty. 2008. “Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and the initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health 42 (4): 344–351; Rosenbaum, J. E. 2009. “Patient teenagers? A comparison of the sexual behavior of virginity pledgers and matched non-pledgers.” Pediatrics 123 (1): e110 – e120). However, there is a dearth of research about the gendered dimensions of AOE, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. We focus on the case of Uganda due to the high sexual risk factors, especially for women and girls, as well as the strong presence of AOE. Drawing on interview data with 33 young Ugandan women, results from this study demonstrate how AOE reinforces deeply embedded cultural norms and harmful traditional practices, from victim blaming to bride price. AOE is inherently gendered, damaging to young women’s self-esteem and perceived bodily integrity, and does not promote informed sexual health decisions. The findings from our study illustrate that comprehensive sexual education that promotes inquiry and critical thinking from students may serve as a powerful weapon against gendered oppression.

KEYWORDS:

• Comprehensive sexuality education
• abstinence-only education
• social and health education
• self-esteem
• embodiment
• women
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• qualitative interviews

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Lydia Namatende-Sakwa, Sophie Morse, Regina Cortina, and Mary Mendenhall for feedback on this article. We would also like to thank Viola Aisu for helping facilitate this research. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Comparative and International Education Society Conference in Mexico City.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 30 participants were Ugandan women, two were Kenyan women living in Uganda, and one was a Rwandan woman/naturalized Ugandan citizen.

2 Out of the original 25 participants, the first author met with 17 of them for in-person interviews in Kampala, while the other 8 participants were uninterested in further participation, or lived too far away from Kampala to attend.

3 Approval for this study was received from the Institutional Review Board of Teachers College, Columbia University. Participants signed informed consent forms before the start of each interview.

4 While participants were not asked about their religion, there were at least two self-identified Muslim participants, and many other participants mentioned being Christian.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah Lewinger

Sarah Lewinger holds an MA in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently the Knowledge Management Specialist at Pathfinder International, where she manages the library and archive, and provides research support to global sexual and reproductive health projects. Her research focuses on gender and power, sexual education, and reproductive justice in post-colonial Africa.

S. Garnett Russell

S. Garnett Russell is an Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and the Director of the George Clement Bond Center for African Education. Her research focuses on human rights, gender, and citizenship in conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts. Recent publications appear in Social Forces, Comparative Education Review, International Sociology, and International Studies Quarterly. Her book on how education is used for peacebuilding and reconciliation in Rwanda is forthcoming with Rutgers University Press.