Teenage Pregnancy in American Culture

In recent years, teenage pregnancy has been labeled a major issue amongst teens that it can be known as an “Epidemic.” Is teenage pregnancy directly responsible for a host of society’s ills? Increasing teenage pregnancy rate translates directly into increasing rates of “school failure,” early behavioral problems, drug abuse, child abuse, depression, and crimes. Many social problems can be directly attributed to the poor choices of teenage girls.

The talk shows today are flooded by episodes dealing with teen pregnancies. The teenage rate in the United States declined in 1993 and 1994. Unfortunately, the number of birth decreased only to older teens, ages 18 and 19. Babies born to teens younger than 17 actually increased, reflecting a growing population of younger girls who are what we now euphemistically call “sexually active.” The number of girls aged 14-17 will increase by more than a million between 1996 and 2005.

Increasing numbers of children born to children are likely to repeat the devastating cycles of almost everything bad-teenage pregnancy, school failures, early behavioral problems, drug abuse, child abuse, depression and crime.

Has anyone ever heard of a child who is happy because he does not know his father? Being a child of a single mother is a handicap, regardless of the wealth, maturity, or social status of that mother. Growing up as the child of a single parent is linked with lower levels of academic achievement (have to repeat grades in school or receiving lower marks and class standings); increased levels of depression; stress and aggression; a decrease in some indicated for physical health; higher incidences of needing services of mental health professionals; and other emotional and behavioral problems. All these effects are linked with lifetime in poverty, poor achievement, and susceptibility to suicide, likelihood of committing crimes and being arrested, and other issues.

When children grow, some tend to live through the society their parents grew, obtaining their social setting, culture, a way of thinking. If troubled kids had babies in their teens, then their child will grow up in the same troubled path their parents were in, it’s like a cycle. The parents still only teach them what they know, and if they were taught to steal, fight or whatever their lifestyle seems to be, their child will grow up to have the s...

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...xual abuse, having or postponing sex, contraception, safer sex and personal responsibility.

Most important of all, young women must learn to fight together for the kinds of deep-reaching programs that will help them to learn physical and verbal self defense, protect their right to set sexual boundaries and give them space to develop self-esteem that extends beyond their sexual value to men. Girls who are strong-who have something going on in their lives and who care about themselves their bodies, and their communities are better able to fend off sexual exploitation and avoid unwanted pregnancy.

Bibliography

1. Ferguson, J. Susan. “Mapping the Social Landscape Reading in Sociology.” “The New Tattoo Subculture.” By:Anne M. Velliquette and Jeff B. Murray. 1999, 2nd Edition. 56-67. “Teenage Wasteland.” By: Donna Gaines. 7-20.

2. Eitzen, D. Stanley and Zinn, Baca Maxine. “In Conflict and Order Understanding Society.” “Culture” Chapter 4. 81-110. “The Structure of Social Groups” Chapter 2. 27-49.

3. Marlin, George. Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Childbearing. Washington D.C. Greenhaven, 1997.

4. Wilson, Q, James. The family. California. Commentary