Adolescent girls and young women are blamed and shamed for falling pregnant, which affects how they are treated, the support they get, and the health services they reive
They are loose. They drink alcohol and use drugs and have sex with older men for money. They also have bad attitudes, are immoral, and don’t listen to their parents. And that’s why these “wrong girls” end up pregnant.
We found these deeply embedded beliefs about teenage pregnancy in our research in two communities in the North West and KwaZulu-Natal. Largely seen as a moral crisis, adolescent girls and young women are blamed and shamed — and that ends up affecting how they are treated, the support they receive, and their ability to access critical health services.
But placing the burden of responsibility on teenage girls hasn’t helped reduce the number of teenage pregnancies. In fact, rates increased significantly in all provinces between 2017 and 2021, with births increasing by 48.7% for girls aged 10—14 and by 17.9% in girls aged 15—19; researchers believe at least part of that is due to Covid-19’s disruption in health services.
Studies have shown that having children too early can hurt their education and future work prospects as well as the overall mental and physical health of adolescent girls and their infants.
Blaming the girls
Our research was based in Moretele in North West and Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, which were chosen because of their high rates of poverty and unemployment, HIV and adolescent pregnancy.
We held 71 interviews with girls and women between the ages of 15 and 24, their caregivers, educators, and other community members. Most of the people we spoke with said teenage pregnancy was a personal failure of girls and young women — a reflection of their immorality, irresponsibility, and recklessness.
One parent in Newcastle told us: “Our children want to enjoy themselves, they do not listen to us parents. They do not want to stay at home, they stay at the taverns, they drink and smoke. When [alcohol and smoking] come together … what can you expect to get in return?”
The stigma attached to teenage pregnancy is linked to the “wrong-girl” — the teenager who is seen as immoral is blamed for the pregnancy and shamed for their “bad” behaviour. It paints young mothers as burdens to struggling households, the state, and our communities. The belief that girls get pregnant just to get a child support grant is common.
An educator in Newcastle told us: “Girls do not care about education or about improving their lives, they only care about being pregnant so they can access the child support grant so that they can get money to buy alcohol.”
That shame is internalised by the teenagers, and they blame themselves as well.
One young woman in Newcastle told us, “We do not take contraceptives, we listen to bad advice from friends … the government has tried all means to give us protective measures but we do not use them.”
Beliefs like that make them feel guilty and ashamed, which can lead to depression, anxiety, a lack of self-worth, and low self-esteem, which can lead to suicidal feelings and emotional isolation. It also means they are less likely to look after themselves and their unborn baby and might be driven to drinking alcohol and using other drugs in order to cope.
That shame also means they are less likely to attend antenatal clinics for pregnancy check-ups or to see a doctor if any issues arise in the pregnancy because they are scared of being judged.
As one parent in Newcastle told us: “Our children are afraid to go to the clinics … You
sometimes find out that the child has made the mistake [of getting pregnant] but it will be a challenge to go to the clinic … I am not sure whether they feel embarrassed or what.”
Blaming the parents – and older men
Parents and caregivers are also blamed for failing to discipline their daughters, for being too permissive, or for not offering information or support about how their teenage girls can protect themselves. One adolescent girl in Newcastle told us, “Girls do not have people who can advise them about sexual health issues … parents are not talking to their kids.”
Some said absent fathers or alcohol-abusing mothers were to blame. Older men were blamed for giving gifts or money for sex, and then abandoning the girls after they get pregnant. Meanwhile, structural factors like poverty, lack of education, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health services — are rarely acknowledged, even though they play a significant role in shaping those choices.
Problematic policies
Public health policies and plans often mirror these community beliefs by focusing almost exclusively on individual behaviour change, emphasising contraceptive use and sexual and reproductive health education. While these are important to include, this approach risks reinforcing harmful stereotypes that portray teenage pregnancy as a personal failing rather than addressing the broader socio-economic factors.
Teenage pregnancy is not merely an individual problem; it is a societal one. Addressing it requires collective responsibility across families, communities, schools, healthcare providers, and policymakers. By focusing on systemic change rather than moralistic blame, we can create an environment where adolescent girls and young women feel supported — not shamed — in making informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
This requires community-driven solutions where parents and caregivers are supported in having open, non-judgmental conversations about sexual and reproductive health with their children. Schools must provide education that goes beyond abstinence. Policymakers should be sure to address poverty and gender inequality in their plans.
It is time to move away from individual blame toward a better understanding of the root causes of teenage pregnancy.
This means recognising that teenage pregnancy is not just about “wrong girls,” “wrong families,” or “wrong men,” but also about “wrong systems”— systems that fail to provide adequate education, healthcare access, and economic opportunities.
Zoe Duby is a socio-behavioural researcher with the health systems research unit at the Medical Research Council in Cape Town and an honorary research associate with University of Cape Town’s school of public health. This study was funded by The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, through the Aids Foundation South Africa.
This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. Sign up for the newsletter.
