Teenage Pregnancy : Society 's Biggest Problem

Parents now days believe teens are misbehaving and not listening more so than teens in years past. However, kids in years past had more control and authority of their own life’s unlike today’s kids who have to rely on their parents. Adults now days have complete authority over teens unlike teens in years past. Teens back in the day were able to find work at an early age and could choose whether or not they wanted to attend school. With that being said, today’s teenager’s growth to adulthood is being prolonged due to society’s changes. Coontz states, “relations between adults and teens are especially strained today, not because youths have lost their childhood, but because they are not being adequately prepared for the new requirements of adulthood.” (McIntyre, 2014, p. 8) Therefore, society’s sociological and historical changes are the real reason for adult and teen

Teen pregnancy is an issue in United States, it is one issue that should wait until teens are married and know what they are doing with their lives. This issue came about in the early in the 1950’s – 1960’s. Teen pregnancy is a teenage girl between the ages 13-19 (girls who haven’t reached adulthood) having unwanted or wanted babies. Janet Bode once stated in her book, “Emotions run everywhere, scared, sad, disappointment and preparation for what is about to happen” (Bode 51). If we do not act now, teen pregnancy will be out the roof. Teen pregnancy needs a stop put to it no matter what, teens are still children themselves and they are still learning how to take care of themselves:

Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships.

Grown-ups always say “teen years are your best years.” Yet the mentality these days is to grow up too fast. Most kids going on to teens can’t wait to have a car, and can’t wait to go out every weekend with that girl they like. These kids go on to having jobs and little do they know that they are going to start missing out on all the fun things their friends are doing like going to that movie everyone has been waiting for at midnight. This is where students start to get tired and say “well I already have a job, I don’t need to go to school.” And that’s when they drop

Teen pregnancy is known as a product of social pathology: parental neglect, emotional deprivation, insecurity, poverty, ignorance, violence. Pregnancy and motherhood in adolescence have a high pejorative, both for the same young to your child if the pregnancy goes to term. The difficulties are numerous, short and long term: the teenager is fragile and becomes more fragile even at pregnancy; medical, school, family and professional prognosis is sober, like the future of the child and the mother-child relationship; They followed pregnancies too early and are a high risk factor and the young mother is unlikely to reach a stable form one day, or even get to obtain a social status of family autonomy.

As us females were young we all seem to become mothers, by playing with dolls, and playing house with others our age. It may be easy for us to say that as children we thought they needed some assistance, but in reality that was only our imagination. As little kids did we really think about what it would be like to really have a baby? We were children, but see the thing here is that teens are still children who are having other children. 16 year olds do not just wake up thinking they want to have a baby, most of the time it just happens without being planned. Teens often do not think about what life would be like as a parent which is easy to happen and we should be informed on the reasons why and what it really is like.

Teen pregnancy has become a problem over the past decade. This issue can be looked at using sociological imagination. C. Write Mills explaing the idea of sociological imagination as the ability to see the connection between personal experiences and larger society. On a personal level, teens with children experience many difficulties juggling the responsibilities of parenting, school, work, and everything else. The teenage years can be very complicated, but adding a child to the mix can really impact young men and women’s relationships, emotions, and future. Looking at this problem on a public level, society has a huge role in preventing teen pregnancies. Also, the media plays a large role in influencing teenagers to engage in sexual activities.Many

Through this paper I will explain teen pregnancy issues and how it affects our teens and their children. I will discuss the physical/ emotional, medical and financial strain placed on teenage parents. Teen pregnancy can affect everyone in different ways. I will also so explain some programs to help with teen pregnancy.

Teenage birth rates, defined as live births per one thousand 15-19-year-old US females, declined by 10% from 2012 to 2013 from 29.4 to 26.5. In fact, the birth rate has been on a steady decline over the past 20 years, from 61.8 in 1991 to 26.5 in 2013. Teenage pregnancy represents both a health and social inequality in our society. Specifically, teenage childbearing is a public health issue because teenage mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes such as dropping out of school. This is a self-reinforcing cycle, as children of teenage mothers face higher chances of poor academic achievement as well as getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant in their teenage years (CDC). Although the overall rates of teenage pregnancy have dropped, ultimately, the variations in the rates reflect the intersecting disparities regarding race and ethnicity, income inequality, geography, and environmental factors, which in turn affect access to medical care, education, and resources.

Teen pregnancy is a global problem, it affects all demographics, but certain populations are at greater risk. Statics show that African-American and Hispanic teenage women in the Unites States have the highest birthrates. Inconsistent research of young African American women is at a greater risk of becoming teenage mothers; the culture may contribute to this trend, though the complex relationships (Furstenberg, 1992; Geronimus, 2003; Sullivan, 1993).

The adolescents of America do not realize how lucky they are to grow up in such a stable society. The opportunities available to American teenagers differ significantly compared to those of teens from many other countries in the world. Poor income countries do not have the resources to exceed the amount of opportunity, like America does. Although there are some areas in America that still do not meet the high standards set by our country, compared to most other countries, American teens are raised in economically stable families, have access to a high level of education, and live in a country that provides them freedom and possibilities for their future.

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.

As we have grown as a society, we have been able to recognize that the youth of our population has always been up against one problem or another. In the past youth have been faced with both the lack of money as well as misunderstandings with parents or teachers. Unfortunately, today's young generation have far more serious problems, such as the increases of teenagers who use alcohol and cigarettes on a daily basis or that many young people suffer from drug addiction. “According to statistics, every fifth teenager, arrested for criminal actions, is younger than 14 years old” (EnglishTopics, 2016). Overall, today’s young generation is faced with multiple issues that are being seen in a negative way, thus because of the lack of support and assurance

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.

Teen pregnancy is a very controversial social issue and the vast majority of Americans consider the outrageous rate of teen pregnancies a severe issue, certainly a problematic occurrence that is believed to be a moral decline in our country. Teenagers are physiologically capable of reproducing but not emotionally or financially prepared to be parents at such a tender age. Through various research studies a plethora of determinants has pin pointed teens unprecedented pregnancies. One cause of this problem is the apparent indication of social separation or disadvantage. Within this issue you would find poverty, single parent households, educational disadvantages on the parents behalf, a lack family/parental support, and unemployment. A child’s educational performance, inappropriate sexual acts, and inferior apprehensions about their futures play a vital role in teen pregnancies as well. Amongst the listed disadvantages the three that take precedent are lacks of family communication, sexual abuse, and poverty. Furthermore, teen mothers do not fit the ideal ideology of the normative scheduling of motherhood, therefore, ultimately resulting in negative consequences for them and society. What needs to be understood is, as to why the numbers of teens are becoming parents at such a vernal age.