Twenty years of democracy and the politics of reproduction in South Africa

Abstract

Reproduction is political. This article is about how young women's experiences of pregnancy and motherhood in South Africa have been affected by politics. Early childbearing has been a norm for a great part of the twentieth century, particularly among South Africa's black and coloured populations. However, it was only in the 1970s that the issue of ?teenage pregnancy? was singled out as an area of concern and one that was worthy of study. The interest in teenage pregnancy emerged at a time when young black people were increasingly becoming more vocal and militant in their opposition to apartheid. They presented a potential destabilising force in the country. In 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) took over the reigns of power as South Africa's first democratically elected government. Once in power, the ANC, under the leadership of President Nelson Mandela, made addressing and correcting past injustices a key priority, particular efforts were made to address racial and gender...