Motherhood in Childhood

disadvantaged minority. This research suggests
that some girls may want a baby to love (and to
love them). They may believe that a baby will
strengthen their ties to their partner. If their peers
have babies, they may want one too. They may
want to demonstrate that they are responsible
and mature enough to be a mother. If they feel
they have no other options, they may feel they
have nothing to lose and possibly a few things
to gain (a baby, a relationship, status).
A qualitative study in Taung, South Africa
(Kanku and Mash, 2010) drew on findings from
focus groups of pregnant adolescent girls, young
women who had had an adolescent pregnancy,
and adolescent boys. It concluded, “Most teenagers
perceived falling pregnant as a negative event
with consequences such as unemployment, loss
of a boyfriend, blame from friends and family
members, feeling guilty, difficulty at school,
complications during pregnancy or delivery, risk
of HIV, secondary infertility if an abortion is
done and not being prepared for motherhood.
A number of teenagers, however, perceived
“I decided to have a child because I
wanted to feel like an adult… Now I have
to make it work. For the sake of my son,
I need to go back to school and get a
proper education. I now know that my
destiny is not to change diapers. I want
to be a lawyer and change the world. For
my son.”
Jipara, 17, Kyrgyzstan
some benefits and saw that it could be a positive
event depending on the circumstances.” The
study concluded, “Multifaceted and intersectoral
approaches are required, and it is likely that
strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy will also
impact on HIV and other sexually transmitted
infections.”
Adolescents’ evolving capacities
The Committee on the Rights of the Child, at
its 33rd session in 2003, called adolescence “a
period characterized by rapid physical, cognitive
and social changes, including sexual and reproductive
maturation; the gradual building up
of the capacity to assume adult behaviours and
roles involving new responsibilities requiring
new knowledge and skills” (Committee on the
Rights of the Child, 2003).
With adolescence, the Committee stated,
come “new challenges to health and development
owing to their relative vulnerability and
pressure from society, including peers, to adopt
risky health behaviour. These challenges include
developing an individual identity and dealing
with one’s sexuality. The dynamic transition
period to adulthood is also generally a period of
positive changes, prompted by the significant
capacity of adolescents to learn rapidly, to experience
new and diverse situations, to develop and
use critical thinking, to familiarize themselves
with freedom, to be creative and to socialize.”
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
acknowledges minors’ “evolving capacities,”
or their acquisition of sufficient maturity and
understanding to make informed decisions on
matters of importance, including on sexual and
reproductive health services. It also recognizes
that some minors are more mature than others
(Article 5; Committee on the Rights of the
52 CHAPTER 3: PRESSURES FROM MANY DIRECTIONS