Unwanted pregnancies in unmarried young women in Rwanda
Weis, P.; Muller, U.
Family planning for life experiences and challenges for the 1990s Papers presented at the Conference on Management of Family Planning Programmes, Harare, Zimbabwe, 1-7 October 1989: 111-114
1990
Document Number: 371052
The study describes the sociocultural aspects of unwanted pregnancies among unmarried young women in Rwanda. Carried out in 1987 by GTZ (German Agency for Technical Cooperation) in collaboration with the National Population Office, the study involved the use of a questionnaire administered to 510 young women who had borne one or more children without ever having cohabited with a man. Data were provided for rural and urban areas. Specific objectives were to examine the causes of unwanted pregnancies, their consequences, and new strategies to solve the problem. It was found that 11% of births in rural areas and 22% of births in urban areas were unwanted. This represents a burdensome problem which affects the whole of society. Main causes include progressive urbanization and modernization, lack of modern sex education, and the existence of taboos and traditional customs. The consequences are usually social discrimination, deterioration of maternal and child health and, in some cases, prostitution. Suggested strategies to overcome the problem include promoting sex education, increasing literacy levels, promoting the use of family planning methods and increasing their availability, especially in rural areas, and improving living conditions and the status of women in Rwandan society.