According to Statistics South Africa, more than 45 000 births recorded in 2021 were from mothers who were 17 years old or younger. A total of 42 of these births were from mothers between the ages of 11 and 12 years old.
In South Africa, the challenges faced by teen mothers are complex and multifaceted, often encompassing issues of poverty, social stigma, and limited access to education.
However, there is a growing movement to support and empower teen mothers in their pursuit of education, recognizing that education is a crucial pathway towards breaking the cycle of poverty and creating a brighter future for both the young mothers and their children.
Educational Disruption
One of the most prominent challenges faced by teen mothers is the disruption of their education. Many adolescent mothers have a history of poor school performance, and a pregnancy can act as a catalyst for early dropout, leading to limited educational and economic opportunities.
A recent HEY BABY (Helping Empower Youth Brought up in Adversity with their Babies and Young children) research study showed that almost 70% of young mothers indicate having returned to school after birth.
Between 2017 and 2019, HEY BABY collected data from over 1 000 adolescent mothers and their children living in rural and urban areas in the Eastern Cape.
These mothers showed lower poverty rates, fewer repeated grades preceding the pregnancy, continued schooling during pregnancy, higher daycare/crèche use, more family childcare support, and lower engagement in exclusive breastfeeding within six months of birth.
Examining the relationship between poverty and school enrolment within this population, the research identified two distinct routes towards a return to school for young mothers:
- Route one: Lower household poverty drives schooling throughout pregnancy which, in turn, drives higher school return rates post-birth;
- Route two: Lower household poverty drives the use of daycare/crèche services which, in turn, drives higher school return rates post-birth.
Meanwhile, the study also found that 30% of the participants - who do not return to school might require substantial targeted support to re-engage with education.
The results suggest that financial support alone might not be sufficient to support adolescent mothers. But when combined with other resources, such as affordable daycare and services that support school retention during pregnancy, they could prove effective.
This evidence aligns with the growing interest in cash-plus programmes which provide cash payments in addition to complementary interventions to strengthen outcomes. This type of intervention might help adolescent mothers to continue their education.
Further research from the HEY BABY team provides valuable insights into maternal education and its potential drivers and consequences:
- Better maternal education is associated with increased child cognitive development.
- Withdrawal from school during pregnancy is associated with more poverty, higher grade repetitions and greater lack of information about the pregnancy.
- Some adolescent mothers face compound risks. For example adolescent motherhood and HIV-infection double the chances of dropping out of school.
- Food security is associated with both education and lowered HIV behaviours, including age-disparate sex and sex on substances.
- Access to formal childcare services has a substantial positive impact for adolescent mothers such as engagement with education and employment, optimism about the future, and improved parenting) and showed better child development over time.
Improving implementation of school policies
Progressive laws and school policies, and their effective implementation, are essential to increase school access for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers.
In South Africa, a national policy assigns the responsibility for managing the care and support for adolescent mothers to individual schools. These schools need to know how to provide effective and targeted help, and which community networks to tap into.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) recently launched the Policy on the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools that seeks to address issues resulting in teen moms being discriminated against at schools and prevent them from dropping out of school.
The DBE said the impact of teenage pregnancy on the affected learners is mitigated through the provision of a systemic, sustainable, structured, safe and empowering environment.
An important aspect of the DBE teenage pregnancy policy requires schools to report pregnancies to the South African Police Service (SAPS) if the pregnant learner is under the age of 16 years old and was impregnated by a man 18 years and older which is considered statutory rape in South Africa.
