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Preenisha Naicker Sexual risk amongst teenage mothers in a selected KwaZulu-Natal secondary school within a context of HIV/AIDS. Preenisha Naicker A dissertation submitted for the degree of Master of Education in the School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal. December 2014 0 Declaration I, Preenisha Naicker (Student No: 208510657) declare that: i. The research report in this thesis, except where otherwise stated is my original work. ii. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. iii. This thesis does not contain other person’s data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other sources have been quoted, then: a) Their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced. b) Where their exact words have been used, their writing had been placed inside quotation marks, and referenced. iv. The work described in this thesis was carried out in the School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, from 2013 to 2014 under the supervision of Dr S Singh (research supervisor) and v. The Ethical Clearance No: HSS/0676/013M was granted prior to undertaking the fieldwork. Signed by me: _______________________ 1 Dedication My Humble Pranams at Thy Lotus Feet of my Divine Guru - Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba whose divine omnipresence, grace, teachings and plans to prosper me have been instrumental in shaping this journey in incredible ways. TO: My parents, the epitomes of selflessness and unconditional love, to whom I dedicate this dissertation. I sincerely thank you for being my pillars of strength and reassuring me every step of this journey. I am grateful for your sacrifices and I never felt alone – because you were always beside me. My aunt, Dr Usha Neelakantan and my late uncle, Dr Gesha Naicker who have inspired me to pursue this journey. Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. My determination to complete this dissertation has been nurtured by your continuous belief in me. My supervisor, Dr Shakila Singh, for the abundance of guidance, support, insight and encouragement that you provided me with during this journey. Your supervision has positively influenced the completion of this dissertation. You instilled in me attitudes of perseverance, determination and enthusiasm for research which I sincerely appreciate. 2 Acknowledgements My sincere gratitude to: My brother-in-law Rajiv (the new addition to our family), my siblings, Desigan, Kirosha and Poovasha for being my “cheerleaders”. I am sincerely grateful to you for all your assistance, most importantly, sharing every step of this journey with me. Your confidence in me has been my sustenance. Thank you for understanding and accommodating me as much of this journey meant sacrificing time spent with you. Mr and Mrs Prem and Asha Singh who have instilled in me the value of spirituality which has positively influenced this journey. I sincerely thank you, not only for your thoughtfulness and compassion, but also your presence which has added value to my life. Dr Bronwynne Anderson and Dr Thabo Msibi for informative and valuable research tutorials conducted and willingness to assist which played an essential role in moulding my research abilities. The Gender Studies Masters Cohort steered by Dr Shakila Singh, for interactive and beneficial learning sessions that served as a platform for addressing the challenges we encountered as individuals and as a group during the research process. The eleven teenage mothers (research participants) who sacrificed their time to share their in-depth experiences – without them this thesis would not be possible. The principal and staff of Umkomaas Secondary School (my colleagues) for your kind words, gestures and consideration during the course of this study. My friends – Sansha Govender, Deshni Naidoo, Kimantha Kisoon, Lucian J Naidoo, Roxanne Gangadaran, Lorraine Pillay, Silvanus Pillay, Adashnie Pather, Monisha Hyburan, Nisha Naidoo, Darren Naidoo, Marc Naicker, Raessa Mahomed, and Rohan Sewsanker for the warmth of your texts, phone calls, delicious treats and sometimes 3 short interactions have made me smile and muster the strength to venture through this journey. Mr Crispin Hemson for valuable comments and the editing of this thesis. The National Research Foundation (NRF) for awarding me a bursary towards my study. Funding provided by the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 4 Abstract Statistics demonstrate that HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a global and national challenge, with major difficulties being experienced in the numerous efforts to curb the transmission of HIV. In addition, research highlights that teenage pregnancy is an emerging social concern globally, which bears testimony to the ineffectiveness of efforts to promote safe sex. High rates of teenage pregnancy can be attributed to unsafe sex and insufficient and incorrect knowledge related to sexual risk. Despite the negative consequences associated with teenage pregnancy, such as social stigma and gender-inequitable challenges in parenting, scholars argue that teenage mothers being neglected and cast aside contributes to further engagement in risky sexual behaviours and possibilities for repeat pregnancies despite challenges experienced during the first pregnancy. This study explores teenage mothers’ understanding of sexual risk in a context of HIV/AIDS. Aspects related to risky sexual behaviour were examined, such as the prevalence of HIV, the role of gender power in affirming gender-specific roles, teenage pregnancy and motherhood as a social concern, sexual risk factors such as poverty, the media, alcohol, drugs, peer pressure, barriers to utilising contraceptives, transactional relationships, love, trust, coercion, violence and sexual decision making. Despite the availability of a wide spectrum of research on risk factors, there is a paucity of literature about the understanding of sexual risk amongst teenage mothers and its influence on their sexual behaviour post pregnancy. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to explore the understanding of sexual risk amongst 11 purposefully selected teenage mothers from a secondary school on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The study, located within the interpretive paradigm, adopted individual interviews to gain an understanding of sexual risks amongst teenage mothers and the ways in which their knowledge served to influence their choices relating to sex post pregnancy. The data was analysed utilising thematic analysis to demonstrate explicit and implicit ideas identified within the data. The findings revealed eleven themes which illustrated that: teenage mothers in this study regretted their decisions to engage in the risky sexual behaviour that contributed to their pregnancies; in turn this influenced their decisions to engage in safe sex post pregnancy to avoid repeat pregnancies that would interrupt the achievement of their educational goals. While teenage mothers in this study acknowledged that they have learnt their lesson, they reported that teenage mothers they are acquainted with continue to engage 5 in sexual behaviours that are risky. This research study revealed that negative consequences associated with motherhood played a role in bringing change to their prior risky sexual behaviours. The findings of this study validate the theory of social constructionism as articulated by Burr (2003), whereby identities are fluid and dynamic owing to interactions within various social contexts. Furthermore, the theory of performativity by Butler (1990) was utilised in framing this study because it asserts that identities are not what we possess, but are performances of gender that vary in different contexts and times. Implications for education and future research were drawn from the findings of this study. 6 Table of Contents Declaration…………………………………………………………………………………….1 Dedication……………………………………………………………………………………..2 Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………3 Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………..5 Table of contents………………………………………………………………………………7 1 Chapter One: Introduction to the study ............................................................................ 12 1.1 Introduction and background to the study ................................................................. 12 1.2 Purpose and focus of this study. ................................................................................ 14 1.3 Rationale underpinning the study .............................................................................. 14 1.4 Significance of the study. .......................................................................................... 16 1.5 Research aims ............................................................................................................ 16 1.6 Research questions .................................................................................................... 16 1.7 Research design ......................................................................................................... 17 1.8 Findings ..................................................................................................................... 18 1.9 Overview of the chapters........................................................................................... 18 1.10 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 19 2 Chapter Two: Literature
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