‘You have a child who will call you “mama”’: Understanding Adolescent Pregnancy in South Sudan
Outcomes: Sexual and Reproductive Health
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways Social norms in South Sudan deeply value motherhood as a marker of adulthood and worth, shaping girls’ choices and aspirations. Effective interventions must go beyond preventing adolescent pregnancy to challenge the underlying social and gender norms, create supportive environments, and offer alternative pathways for girls to achieve respect, security, and fulfillment without early childbearing.
Objectives This study aimed to understand why adolescent girls in South Sudan choose to become mothers, exploring their own explanations, values, and decisions around childbearing in a context often shaped by conflict, poverty, and social norms that prize motherhood.
Methods The researchers conducted an exploratory qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 24 participants, including adolescent girls, boys, and parents in Wau, South Sudan. Using framework analysis, they explored how norms, beliefs, and social expectations around sex, childbearing, and adulthood shaped adolescent girls’ reproductive decisions.
Intervention Details This was a research study, not an intervention evaluation. However, it was conducted under the South Sudan Health Action and Research Project (SHARP), which aimed to improve reproductive health services in the region.
Results The study found that adolescent girls viewed motherhood as a source of pride, adulthood, and social worth, often seeing it as one of the few viable routes to happiness, stability, and dignity. Childbearing was associated with gaining social respect, creating a home, and securing one’s future, especially in a context where education and economic opportunities were limited. Girls balanced conflicting pressures: on one side, the desire for independence and social standing through motherhood; on the other, parental and community hopes for education and delayed marriage.
Conclusions The study concludes that adolescent pregnancy in South Sudan cannot simply be framed as a public health problem or personal failure. Instead, it reflects a complex interplay of social norms, constrained choices, and efforts by young women to exercise agency within difficult circumstances. Policy responses need to account for girls’ own perspectives and motivations to develop realistic, inclusive programs that address structural inequalities and expand meaningful opportunities.
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