A tough love approach indeed: Demonising early childbearing in the Zuma era

abstract

In South Africa the rates of teenage pregnancy have steadily decreased over the last two decades. However despite the decrease, teenage pregnancy remains a concern. The recent discourse regarding teenage pregnancy circulating among government officials and those in positions of power has been decidedly unforgiving. Pregnant teenagers are blamed for arresting development in South Africa. For these government officials and the black elite, teenage pregnancy symbolises deviance, delinquency and moral decay. The aim of this Article is to answer two questions. The first is how did this happen? The second is why are young mothers being demonised?

Keywords:

• Teenage pregnancy
• intergenerational relationships
• South Africa
• sexuality
• power

Notes

1. The South African Council of Churches and the South African Catholic Bishops Conference created the Joint Enrichment Programme (JEP). Out of the JEP came the publication Black Youth in Crisis: Facing the Future. The church was also involved in the research surrounding Straker's book (1992) Faces in the Revolution: The Psychological Effects of Violence on Township Youth in South Africa.

2. The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality. South Africa overtook Brazil in 2005 to become the world's most unequal country.