Gender relations and Reproductive Health in Zimbabwe: An assessment of cervical cancer among teenage mothers in Hurungwe Ward 13

ABSTRACT

Gender is one of the most important factors to consider in designing, managing and

delivering reproductive health services. Yet gender may also be the least understood

characteristic in terms of how women’s and men’s health needs differ and how those

differences can be addressed. Adolescent mothers have been seen to be victims of gender

disparities and as a result they have faced unprecedented health challenges such as STI

infections and teenage pregnancies just to mention a few. This study sought to identify the

extent to which gender relations have influenced the attainment of better reproductive health

services for these adolescent mothers. The research was based on the case study of teenage

mothers in Hurungwe district and how gender relations affected their attainment of

reproductive health services with particular attention being paid to cervical cancer. Through

a sample of fifty respondents who were identified through snowball sampling and purposive

sampling, the research highlighted various issues of concern which included the existence of

a high rate of child marriages in the area under study, the role played by religion in

infringing the rights of the girl child as well as the issue of the centralisation of facilities

which offer cervical cancer screening services. After analysing the findings, various

recommendations were laid down and these include the strong participation of stakeholders

in information dissemination and ensuring that cervical cancer screening facilities are easily

accessible to the populace