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Agency, Consent and Coercion: Young People's Experiences of First Sex in Ashanti and Northern Regions, Ghana (PDF, 3460K)
Associated publication(s):
Overview - Agency, Consent, and Coercion: Young People's Experiences of First Sex in Ashanti and Northern Regions, Ghana (QRS24) - Analysis Brief
Relationship Context of First Sex - Agency, Consent, and Coercion: Young People's Experiences of First Sex in Ashanti and Northern Regions, Ghana (QRS24) - Analysis Brief
Motivation for First Sex - Agency, Consent, and Coercion: Young People's Experiences of First Sex in Ashanti and Northern Regions, Ghana (QRS24) - Analysis Brief
Contraceptive Use at First Sex - Agency, Consent, and Coercion: Young People's Experiences of First Sex in Ashanti and Northern Regions, Ghana (QRS24) - Analysis Brief
Coercion at First Sex - Agency, Consent, and Coercion: Young People's Experiences of First Sex in Ashanti and Northern Regions, Ghana (QRS24) - Analysis Brief
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Abstract:
The establishment of romantic and sexual
relationships is a key component of the
transition from adolescence to adulthood
across the world. This is a time of both
great excitement and vulnerability for
youth, as they have less experience with
relationships and how to protect themselves
from poor outcomes. This is also a time when
many are especially vulnerable to being
pressured or forced into starting their
sexual lives earlier than they would choose
and where patterns of behavior, including for
things like couple communication and
decision-making or contraceptive use, are
established. This point in the life course is
very important, potentially influencing the
rest of the lives of young women and men.
However, significant gaps remain in the
field’s understanding of this period of life,
including how young people enter into
intimate relationships, what influences the
decisions young people make about starting
their sexual lives, and how much coercion is
involved in those decisions. As a result,
researchers, policymakers and programmers are
often forced to make assumptions about what
the needs of youth are at this point and how
to best meet them.
This study aims to address some of these gaps
through using a mixed-method approach to
explore the context around the first time
youth had sex in the Ashanti and Northern
regions of Ghana. Ghana is in many
ways an ideal setting in which to explore
these questions, with a youthful age
structure, considerable diversity, and
rapidly changing patterns in the ages and
types of relationships where first sex takes
place. Qualitative data were collected in the
two regions from 154 young women and men who
had completed the main Ghana Demographic and
Health Survey (GDHS) and met the following
criteria:
- Age 15–29 (with a greater focus on
collecting data from those aged 15–24)
- Reported having first sex before age 18
(women) and 20 (men)
- Consented to be reinterviewed for the study
during the main GDHS
The study focused on three main themes
related to the first sexual experience of
young women and men in
these two regions:
- What types of relationships were youth in
when they experienced first sexual
intercourse?
- How much coercion did youth experience
around having sex for the first time?
- How prepared were youth for the initiation
of sex?
The key findings from the study included:
- The type of relationship that youth were in
when they first had sex plays a major role in
how that experience took place
- Open and clear communication between
couples about sex and contraception is
generally very low prior to the first sexual
encounter
- Detailed and correct knowledge about sexual
and reproductive health (SRH) is very low
- Youth generally have limited understanding
of sexual and reproductive health rights
(SRHR) and the role of consent within
relationships, especially marriage
- Gender norms play a major role in limiting
communication and decision-making about sex
and contraception, particularly for women
- Coercion at low or moderate levels around
first sex was almost universal for women and
forced sex was relatively common.
These findings show that for many of the
young women and men in this study, the
initiation of sexual activity took place in
ways that were neither safe nor healthy. Most
youth did not take the decision to start
having sex lightly but lacked the capacity,
skills and knowledge required to minimize the
risk of poor outcomes. There is, thus, a
clear need for programming that builds on
prior efforts by the Ghanian government to
provide youth with a comprehensive education
that will better prepare them for
establishing health relationships within
which they may or may not become sexually
active. This programming should aim to build
knowledge about sexual and reproductive
health rights (SRHR), gender roles, and the
life skills required to ensure healthy, safe
and respectful relationships, while also
acknowledging that many young people will
become sexually active, including within
marriage. All efforts should be made to build
this capacity before youth are likely to
become sexually active so they can make fully
informed decisions and effectively protect
themselves from poor outcomes, such as
unintended pregnancies and sexually
transmitted infections. The Government of
Ghana has made the health and productivity of
youth a priority and in many ways it is in a
good position to address these concerns.
However, full success cannot be achieved
without taking a realistic approach to youth
sexual behavior and working to ensure that
the SRHR needs of youth are met.