Books and Babies

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Pregnancy and young parents in schools Being pregnant and a young parent in South African schools is not easy. Books and Babies examines why this is the case. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative research conducted in secondary schools in Durban and Cape Town, the book explores how teachers and principals respond to pregnant learners and young parents in school and survey 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.

Preface
1 Pregnancy and parenthood in South African schools
Robert Morrell, Deevia Bhana and Tamara Shefer

Section A Principals, teachers and the problem of pregnancy and parenting
Introduction: A qualitative analysis of interviews with principals and teachers
Deevia Bhana
2 Schools and their responses to the rights and needs of pregnant and parenting learners Lindsay Clowes, Toni DAmant and Vuyo Nkani
3 Teacher responses to pregnancy and young parents in schools
Deevia Bhana and Sisa Ngabaza

Section B Learner attitudes to pregnancy, parents and gender equality: A quantitative analysis
Introduction
Richard Devey and Robert Morrell
4 Mothers, fathers and carers: Learner involvement in carework
Robert Morrell and Richard Devey
5 Mothers: yes, babies: no. Peer attitudes towards young learner-parents
Richard Devey and Robert Morrell
6 Gender and parenting: Challenging traditional roles?
Richard Devey and Robert Morrell

Section C Being a Learner, Being a Parent School experiences
Introduction
Tamara Shefer

7 ‘It isn’t easy’: Young parents talk of their school experiences
Tamara Shefer, Deevia Bhana, Robert Morrell, Ntsiki Manzini and Nokuthula Masuku
8 Being a young parent: The gendered sharing of carework
Tamara Shefer, Elron Fouten and Nokuthula Masuku
9 Conclusion: Policy implications and issues for the future
Deevia Bhana, Tamara Shefer and Robert Morrell

10 Photographing young parents
Cedric Nunn (26 photographs (+ captions) and an accompanying essay)

Author biographies and reflections on parenthood

Appendices (x2)

References

Robert Morrell has worked in South African universities since 1982, when he joined the University of Transkeis History Department. For 20 years, he lectured in the Department of Education at the University of Natal/KwaZulu-Natal before joining the University of Cape Town, where he works in the Research Office and is an associate of the School of Education. He is the editor of Changing Men in Southern Africa (2001) and author (with Debbie Epstein, Elaine Unterhalter, Deevia Bhana and Relebohile Moletsane) of Towards Gender Equality (2009).

Deevia Bhana is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She specialises in the study of gender, education, and childhood and has published widely in her field.

Tamara Shefer is a Professor and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of the Western Cape. Most of her work, teaching, research, and publications have been in the areas of gender, HIV, masculinities, and sexuality, as well as feminist and critical psychology.