Being dragged into adulthood? Young people’s agency concerning sex, relationships and marriage in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15098902 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maryse Kok (0000-0003-0889-8663, KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, corresponding author), Zoe van Eldik (0000-0002-7232-5977, KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Tasneem Kakal (0000-0002-8845-0465, KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Alister Munthali (0000-0002-3495-3446, University of Malawi), J Anitha Menon (0000-0002-7388-7509, University of Zambia), Paulo Pires (0000-0002-2586-9955, Lúrio University), Pam Baatsen (KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Anke Van Der Kwaak (KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 767-781 |
| Publication date | 2022-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Culture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13691058.2021.1881618 |
| PMID | 33630727 |
| OpenAlex | W3130647366 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 31 |
This study aimed to explore how young people exercise agency in rural Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia in relation to sex, relationships and marriage, to inform local programmes aiming to prevent teenage pregnancy and child marriage. In each country, focus group discussions with young people and parents, in-depth interviews with young people and a variety of other participants, and a household survey with young people (15-24 years) were conducted. We found that (child) marriage was often a response to teenage pregnancy, which was highly prevalent in all study areas. Young people's aspirations to enter adulthood were influenced by their life circumstances. Initiation ceremonies symbolised the transition to adulthood and gave social endorsement to young people to start engaging in (often unprotected) sexual activity. Given the uncertain socio-economic context, resource constraints led families to marry off their daughters; or girls themselves to marry early to relieve the burden on their families, but also to get pregnant as a 'next step' towards adulthood. Transactional sex was common. These intersecting cultural, social and economic contextual factors constrained young women's agency, more as compared to young men. However, young women did manoeuvre within contextual constraints to exercise a degree of agency
Child marriage · Developmental psychology · Focus group · Geography · Population · Sociology · Teenage pregnancy · Transactional sex · Young adult · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Demography · Gender Studies · Global Maternal and Child Health · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |