The social problem I have chosen to write about is teen pregnancy. My family has experienced teen pregnancy with my cousins as well as myself. With all my cousins who became teenage mothers they all failed to either graduate from high school or once they did graduate or earn their GED’s they failed to go to college. Every single one them was also on welfare. In my particular situation I was not on welfare and did complete high school on time, although I did attend college for only one semester, I did not complete obtaining a degree. I am currently trying to complete my degree however it has taken me to the age of 33 to successfully go back.
Having a child at the age of 16 was extremely tough for me. I had attended private school up until the end of my sophomore year as that is when I became pregnant. I had hoped to attend college out of state and had a steady grade point average of about 3.5. I lost contact with all my friends as I was either working or staying home with my son. I had to work two jobs in order to avoid being on welfare and yet still continue to go to high school as I was determined to finish. I can proudly say that my son is now graduating from high school and he has grown up to be a very respectful young man. I had seen my cousins’ struggle with their teen pregnancies as well but no one had actually ever sat me down to talk to me about it.
Although teen pregnancy has since been on the decline about 3 in 10 teen girls will still get pregnant in the United
Although popular opinion sometimes indicates otherwise, according to a statistical analysis from the US Department of Health and Services (2014), teen pregnancy rates have been steadily declining for the past twenty years. In America, most teenagers are not yet fully independent
In 2015, the national teen birth rate for non-Hispanic white females was 90,833. The teen birth rate for non-Hispanic black females was 50,039. Along with the teen birth rates for Hispanic 80,364, American Indian/Alaska Native 4,738, and Asian/Pacific Islander 4,297. The national percentage of teen pregnancies to girls under the age of 15 was 1 percent. Girls age 15-17 was 26 percent and girls age 18-19 was 73percent.
Teenagers have been told countless times that if they got pregnant too soon, their lives are as good as done. Once the “burden” of becoming a teen parent is set in stone, a successful future becomes further out of reach or almost impossible. It is true, that if someone becomes a parent at a young age, they do have to grow up faster and become responsible not just for themselves but now, a baby. However, the stereotype is created when other people put their interpretations and comments in on a situations like these. Most of the time their thoughts are that these teens will quit school, never make it to college, and will eventually live a poor quality of life. Due to having to take care of a baby so young, “there is no time for college.” They
Teenage pregnancies have been looked down upon in society throughout the years, and when races become a factor, society tends to perceive them in a much more harsh manner. The movie Juno portrays the pregnancy of a teenage white girl and how society treats her. With her choice to continue her pregnancy, and give the child up for adoption, allows Juno to discover the girl that she is. This movie is seen as Juno’s coming of age story, which doesn't necessarily have to mean puberty, this is more of how she transforms into adulthood. Her pregnancy takes her on a journey of self-discovery.
Another big problem in the family is teenage pregnancy. Of the approximately 11 million adolescent females who are sexually active, about 1 million become pregnant each year in the United States. That works out to about 1 in every 10 teenage girls (Scattergood, 1990). A teenager is more likely to have pregnancy
"Over one million teenage girls become pregnant each year. In the next 24 hours, about 3,312 girls will become pregnant. In addition, 43% of all adolescents become pregnant before the age of 20. These are incredible statistics when you consider that there are only 31 million females. The United States has the highest adolescent pregnancy rate in the developed world. As statistics show one in nine women between the ages of 15 through 19 become pregnant each year. Also, every 26 seconds a teenage girl becomes pregnant and every 56 seconds a child of a teenage mother is born."
Nothing is scarier than the thought of becoming a parent at a young age. Sadly this is a problem that has become common all over the world. Today it is easy to find someone who has experienced teen pregnancy themselves or knows someone who has. So now the question is how do we solve this problem? Why is it so common?
It is hypothesized that there is a direct correlation between low socioeconomic status and teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy, for the purpose of this paper, is defined as a teenage girl between the ages of 13-19 who are currently pregnant (UNICEF). Low socioeconomic status is defined as families living at or below the poverty threshold. The independent variable for this study is teenage pregnancy and the dependent variable is low socioeconomic status.
In J.K. Rowling’s famous book series Harry Potter, incoming students are sorted into different houses based on their characteristics. One house in particular, Slytherin, contains students with those traits of determination and loyalty. My mother had a rough upbringing; her parents, although loving, seldom abused alcohol, and in her teenage years, she became a mother to a man who eventually cheated on her. However, my mother was determined to give her daughters a better life, and so she did. Eventually, she met my father and had me.
Teen pregnancy has been an issue in the United States for the past couple decades in the 20th and 21st centuries. The rate of teen pregnancy has decreased for the past seven years; however, the number of teen births remain high. Racial/ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities in teen birth rates persist. In order to continue the decrease in the rate of teen pregnancy in low-income females age 15-19-year-olds, it is essential to understand the problem, its implication, its prevalence, and the factors that contribute to the problem of teen pregnancy.
When it comes to the topic of do TV shows like “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” promote or discourage teenage pregnancy, most of us will readily agree that it in fact does promote teenage pregnancy. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of how does this promote teenage pregnancy. Whereas some are convinced that it promotes teenage pregnancy through the fame some of the young couples have achieved, others maintain that it in fact discourages teenage pregnancy by showing the struggles and realities of having a child at such a young age. I agree that the show “16 and Pregnant” promotes teenage pregnancy because a new Indiana University research study confirms it.
Red and blue lights are flashing and the noise of the ambulance impels everyone to a point where they have to look outside and observe the situation, as if a mystical force was compelling them. From what they can see, the paramedic is holding a tiny hand telling her to hold on. As the stretcher rolls by, the onlookers notice a huge lump, or ball as a few may say, under the pallid cotton covers. What they also take note of is that the pregnant woman is not a woman at all, but in fact a teenager. As some are astounded that a child is being born from a child, others possibly will look at it as a “blessing in disguise.” The issue of teenage pregnancy is affecting our society in innumerable ways and has become one of our top social issues of all time. “The latest estimates show that approximately 1 million teens become pregnant every year” (East, Felice, and Associates 1). With this high number of teenage pregnancy, it is no wonder that many authors try to exemplify this common subject matter. Katrina L. Burchett, author of Choices, accurately and effectively depicts teenage pregnancy among female adolescents living with domestic issues.
Some things in life are just thrown at you without any warning and you simply may not be ready to tackle the task at hand. Pregnancy is one of those many things that are thrown into your life that can be a major issue for many people, especially teen girls. Finding out that you 're pregnant is big news whether you are happy about it or not. The decision of what you 're going to do with the baby is what makes it so life changing. Many possibilities arise for one to think about; one could choose to parent that baby, abort it, or put it up for adoption. For most people it 's an easy decision because they want to keep that baby and raise it as one of their own, but for some, it can be the most difficult decision of their life. Many of these people are young women who get pregnant without trying to be. For those young women who have this problem arise, they get stuck thinking about their future and they feel that pregnancy may ruin what they previously sought out for themselves. Because of this many of them abandon the thought of ever keeping the baby and turn to having an abortion. What many may not know is that adoption is a better way to handle this controversy. Adoption should be chosen over abortion so that the young woman will not be harmed during or after the process, the baby can be given a second chance at life, and those who can 't have children of their own can experience the life of parenthood.
Like Amy and Loeber (2009), when it comes to the ecological paradigm of teenage pregnancy, Corcoran, Franklin, and Bennett (2000) also believe one’s socioeconomic status is a huge factor that contributes to this problem. A person’s socioeconomic status a lot of times determines “education, expanded family size, single-parent household structure, and lessened resources in terms of employment and income.” These three authors claim that educational performance and goals “dictate the potential costs of child bearing at a young age.” Their studies have also shown that teenage girls’ relationships with the school setting and poorer performance in school serve a greater risk for adolescent pregnancy.
“Adolescent pregnancy occurs in all societies, with considerable variation in magnitude and consequences among different countries and regions.” Teenage pregnancy is certainly not unheard of, all nations across the globe have