Critical perspectives in the making

Early pregnancy among young people in Nieva, Amazonas

Bibliographic Data

ID15345330
AuthorsGabriela Távara (0000-0003-0385-4143, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, corresponding author), Mariana Patricia Salas Franco (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Gabriela Gutiérrez Muñoz (0000-0002-0211-9414, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Gonzalo Rivera Talavera (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Rodrigo Jesús Perez Reyes (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Diana Haydeé Ruiz Bartra (0009-0009-4175-9893, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú)
Year2026
Pages1-11
Publication date2026-04-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691058.2026.2650776
PMID41944795
OpenAlexW7151558976
LanguageEN
References cited10

This study analyses how young people in Nieva, a district in the Peruvian Amazon, understand sexuality and early pregnancy, and how their views are influenced by key adults in their lives in a context of social violence. This qualitative investigation adopted a decolonial feminist approach and involved 30 individual interviews with secondary school young people (aged 14-18 years), their teachers and mothers. Workshops were also held with 140 young people in the same locality. The findings show that young people critique unequal gender relationships inside and outside their school, and they recognise the risks present in Nieva, including the exposure to drugs, alcohol, and violence. However, they attribute cases of early pregnancy to young people's lack of responsibility, a belief shared by their teachers and mothers. The sexuality education provided by the school focused on preventing sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy while overlooking the socioemotional aspects of sexual and romantic relationships. Nevertheless, students were found to have the personal resources and agency to denounce everyday forms of gender inequality and demand change. The findings highlight the need to foster critical engagement with gender relationships by providing young people with tools to analyse and confront those relationships that are unequal

Agency (philosophy · Context (archaeology · Human sexuality · Qualitative research · Romance · Sexuality education · Socioemotional selectivity theory · Teenage pregnancy · Young adult · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Feminism, Gender, and Social Issues · Indigenous Studies in Latin America

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