Contemporary Societal Concern – Teenage Pregnancy

1. Contemporary Societal Concern –Teenage Pregnancy Ellen Ruth and Sophie

2. Teenage pregnancy (Adolescent pregnancy): • Pregnancy by a female, aged 13 to 19 • Is usually understood to occur in a female who has not completed her core education–secondary school • Has few or no marketable skills • Is financially dependent upon her parents and/or continues to live at home • Is often mentally immature and unprepared Medical Dictionary

3. Teenage pregnancies have been a problem for many years. • Several issues associated with teenage pregnancy: • Social • Economic • Cultural • Educational • political issues. • Becoming a norm in western societies

4. When a teenager becomes a parent there are many implications that are generally not thought of for example: • Education • Less employment opportunities • Lower income • Welfare support • Dependence upon other family members or their community • And infrequent long-lasting relationships.

5. Likely/potential biological problems in the mother: • increased risks of miscarriage • premature labour • blood pressure problems • prenatal mortality • Negative impacts on the child

6. Prevention of unplanned pregnancy in adolescents has become an international medical priority • Teenage Pregnancy Strategy was introduced in 1999, where they pledged to halve pregnancies for under-18s by mid-2010 • The rate of teenage pregnancy is now 13.3% lower than it was in 1998.

7. Teenage Pregnancy Strategy 2010 • The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy has 2 strands • Most teenage pregnancies are unplanned and around half end in abortion. • The under 18 conception rate is now 13.3 per cent lower than in 1998. • Many areas have managed to lower their rates of teen pregnancy.

8. The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) • The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: • National reduction in the under-18 conception rate of 11% and a 23% decrease in the under-18 birth rate. • The positive impacts that the strategy has had in relation to young mothers in education.

9. Conflicting Media Coverage • “A nation of bad parents: Britain’s youngsters amongst world’s worst for drinking, smoking and teenage pregnancy, warns the OECD” – Mail Online • “Teenage Pregnancy falls to Lowest in a Decade” – The Sunday Times • “Shock rise in teenage pregnancies hits government strategy” – The Sunday Times

10. Sociological and Psychological Theories • Sociological: - Robert Merton’s (1949) development on Durkeim’s strain theory • Howard S. Becker’s concept of “Labelling Theory”. • Psychological: - Piaget’s Constructivist perspective

11. Thank you for listening! 