Using the concept of coping strategies, this thesis is essentially concerned with the way young women in Mozambique achieve social well-being during the life event of unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy in Mozambique places significant strain on informal and formal relationships, educational access, economic stability and the maintenance of good health. It also has significant implications for young women’s roles, responsibilities and status within families and communities (CEDAW 2005). Twenty one qualitative semi-structured individual interviews were completed with young women (16-19 years old) who have recently had an unintended pregnancy, as well as eight focus groups using a vignette with young women (16–21 years old) from youth associations and fourteen individual interviews with key informants (those working in the area of sexual and reproductive health with youth and adolescents). From these three forms of rich data, the relationships young women have with others, the negotiations they engage in and the coping strategies they employ are illuminated. This research contributes to an increased understanding of unintended pregnancy and the ways young women respond and ‘cope’ with this life event (as a process) largely via different forms of social interaction. The chosen methodology was designed to elicit this type of knowledge drawing on different disciplinary interpretations of coping strategies. Although unintended or early pregnancy in young women has developed as a key social development concern in recent years (Hainsworth 2002; Mahy 2002; Westoff 2003; UNFPA 2007), this research indicates that policy strategists in Mozambique struggle to develop adequate and effective intervention in response. The narratives shared by young women, and the analysis developed through chapters four to seven builds a complex picture for intervention, as family relationships remain a major factor for social and economic well-being. The socially and culturally constructed nature and predominant location within families mean that macro strategies and community level intervention has limited impact during unintended pregnancy. Strengthening relational strategies (both formal and informal) through social development intervention is therefore necessary for young women to access social and organisational resources for coping and social well-being. By using the concept of coping strategies, the juxtaposition of ‘copers’ and ‘non-copers’, the relationship between agency and structure, the strategies employed at different levels, the significance of social interaction and coping as a process has been opened up to scrutiny. This thesis not only evaluates and critiques models of social development, but also argues that the concept of coping strategies can be usefully applied to inform social development in ways that address both individual and collective wellbeing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:505631 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Taplin, Aisha Jane |
| Contributors | Powell, Jacqueline ; Crow, Graham |
| Publisher | University of Southampton |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/72364/ |
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