Abstract
Premarital sex and premarital childbearing is a source of stigma in many African communities and can negatively affect adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health experiences. This study seeks to provide insight into the strategies adolescent girls adopt to avoid stigmatization due to premarital sex and/or childbearing by their community members and families. Using a mixed methods approach, data were collected from a survey of 500 adolescent girls out of which 20 were purposively selected for in-depth interviews. The strategies adopted by adolescent girls to avoid stigma varied based on the pregnancy status of girls, that is whether they have never had a child (nonpregnant [NP]) or had ever had a child (ever-pregnant [EP]). To avoid stigma associated with premarital sex, some NP girls abstained from sex and others who were sexually active either kept their relationships secret or used contraceptives secretly. For the EP girls, some tried to minimize stigma to premarital childbearing by going back to school after childbirth or learning a trade or a vocation. Some EP girls also got married to the fathers of their babies to avoid stigma. Overall, the desire to feel accepted by community members pushed adolescent girls to adopt strategies to avoid the stigma associated with premarital sex and childbearing. It is recommended that there should be creation of awareness for community members on the need to support adolescent girls to minimize the risk they may be predisposed to in their sexual and reproductive health.
Highlights
Most societies in sub-Saharan Africa were guided by norms and values that proscribe sex before marriage and adolescent girls were expected to be virgins at marriage
While the Constitution of Ghana and the Child Act outlines the designated age for marriage in Ghana to be at age 18 years and consensual sex at age 16, the traditional and religious value systems do not lay emphasis on age for marriage, they discourage premarital sex and out of wedlock childbearing
As most of the adolescent girls involved in the study had some level of formal education as well as knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health, the expectation was that adolescent mothers may be stigmatized by teachers and peers when they return to school as found by Imoro (2009)
Summary
Most societies in sub-Saharan Africa were guided by norms and values that proscribe sex before marriage and adolescent girls were expected to be virgins at marriage. This notwithstanding, some adolescent girls have adopted their own strategies to avoid the stigma of premarital sex and premarital childbearing to pass as “normal” in their communities. What strategies do nonpregnant (NP) adolescent girls adopt to avoid stigma to premarital sex in their community?
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
