Abstract

Introduction: In Ethiopia about 40% of young women are married before 18 years.   Owing to the high rate of early marriage and subsequent cultural pressure to prove fertility, early and unintended pregnancies are common among young married women. Despite contraceptive need of young married women who face pressures to conceive is unique and influenced by more complex factors, studies are limited to 15-49 years wide age interval and focused on individual and institutional factors ignoring the socio-cultural influences. This study was, therefore, to explore social norm around childbearing and contraceptive use young married women in Ethiopia.

Methods: Qualitative study design was conducted in Kersa district. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and In-depth-interviews (IDIs) were carried out with 15-24 years married women.   IDIs were also conducted with people in social networks including husbands, mothers-in-law, Heath Extension Workers and family planning providers.  Semi-structured questions and vignettes were used to explore norms related to young women childbearing and contraception-related behavior that community would approve or disapprove and any social sanctions in response to deviance from the specific norm. Audiotapes of qualitative data were transcribed verbatim, translated into English, coded by assistance of ATLAS. ti software and analyzed using framework analysis.

Result: Husband was a predominant interpersonal influence among married young women. Perceived social norm that disapprove premarital sexual union contraception before fertility prove; and strong social expectation for fertility prove immediately after marriage were expose young girls to early marriage and subsequent early childbearing. Respondents identified social norms that pressure to have large family size, gender related norm   and perceived contraceptive side effect are barriers to young married women contraceptive use. Moreover, young women had strong desire to comply to the social expectations to avoid strong negative social sanction including labeling as ‘infertile or couldn’t give birth ’, ‘do not love her husband and/or tangible action such as physical violence and divorce

Conclusion: Social influence that disapprove accessing contraception before first birth is pressuring adolescent girl to marry at early age and childbearing soon after marriage.    Young wives have also passively planned pregnancies owing to number of persistent social norms and fear of perceived contraceptive related side effects. Family planning intervention to young women and girls should address specific social norms related to child marriage decision-making, childbearing and contraceptive expectations.