Menarche and sexuality among a sample of black South African schoolgirls

This paper starts out with the assumption that human behavior is influenced by and can best be understood when viewed against a cultural background which gives context and meaning. Thus this discussion of menarche and sexuality starts off with premarital sexual socialization. It is from this traditional viewpoint that most urban residents come. The discussion then turns to the research sample studied in Pretoria, South Africa, during April 1985. Information dealing with physical maturation, sexual knowledge, and sexual activity is included, documenting a relatively unimformed population sample which is becoming increasingly more sexually active. Four studies of the same nature, between 1943 and 1969, are used here to derive a comparative picture on age at menarche and aspects of maturation. The next part of the paper deals with South Africa's Family Planning Programme and the knowledge and attitudes of this sample of Black schoolgirls is analyzed against the work done in that program. This includes general knowledge about pregnancy and attitudes regarding birth control methods. The final section of this paper deals with the attitudes of these female students as regards sexuality and the woman's control over her own sexuality both outside and inside a marriage relationship.