Full Description
Being pregnant and a young parent in South African schools is not easy. Books and Babies examines why this is the case. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research conducted in secondary schools in Durban and Cape Town, the book explores how teachers and principals respond to the presence of pregnant learners and young parents in school, and surveys the attitudes of fellow learners towards them. Interviews with the young parents themselves yield rich narratives which, accompanied by a visual essay, invite the reader into their lives as they confront the demands of pregnancy, parenting and school. Books and Babies provides a finely textured analysis of these demands and shows the ongoing need to challenge the unequal and gendered load of pregnancy and parenting, both in schools and the broader social context.
Contents
Pregnancy and parenthood in South African schools. Principals, teachers and the 'problem' of pregnancy and parenting: Introduction: A qualitative analysis of interviews with principals and teachers; Schools and their responses to the rights and needs of pregnant and parenting learners; Teacher responses to pregnancy and young parents in schools. Learner attitudes to pregnancy, parents and gender equality: A quantitative analysis; Mothers, fathers and carers: Learner involvement in carework; Mothers: yes, babies: no. Peer attitudes towards young learner-parents; Gender and parenting: Challenging traditional roles? Being a Learner, Being a Parent - School experiences; 'It isn't easy': Young parents talk of their school experiences; Being a young parent: The gendered sharing of carework; Conclusion: Policy implications and issues for the future; Photographing young parents.
