Teen pregnancy

The social problems of today’s world somehow reflect how social values have changed over the years. One example is teenage pregnancy. In early generations, young unmarried ladies were introduced to society only at eighteen years of age and were seldom seen without their mothers or chaperones to accompany them outside the house. Nowadays, girls as young as twelve or thirteen have made society acknowledge their presence by not only going out alone but also by going against the social norm and becoming young mothers. Studies have been made in order to understand the reason behind and the impact of teenage pregnancies. These researches, however, have resulted to significant differences possibly “ arising from a combination of political, religious and research design factors.” (Bonell, C., 2004)
Teenage pregnancy poses a problem to the young couple, their baby and the society. For the couple, they have to deal with not being able to finish high school or going to college. “ Only 40 percent of teen moms who give birth at age 17 or earlier finish high school according to research compiled by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.” (Huus, K., 2010) As for the child, it more often grows up trying to match its peers in terms of necessities and luxuries in life. Society is not spared. The U. S. government spends over at least $9. 1 billion for health care, housing assistance, food stamps, child welfare services “ provided for teens and their children, and the lost revenue due to lower taxes paid by teen mothers.” (Huus, K., 2010) Teen pregnancy also serves as a marker of sexual behavior that brings a substantial risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. (Allen, et. al., 1997)
Although there was a steady decline in teenage pregnancies in the United States, approximately 1 million teenage girls become pregnant each year. (Overview, 2007) Research shows that “ practitioners and researchers have been sorely remiss in discovering proven, replicable, and socially acceptable ways to help American young people avoid unwanted pregnancies.” (Schinke, S., 1998) How can society solve this seemingly neglected problem?
“ Within psychology, especially, critical thinking has been championed for all students and professionals.” (Levy, D., 1997) As teen pregnancies are often studied in relation to the psychological behavior of the individual, maybe critical thinking can help society find a way to come up with better programs to guide teenage parents or thwart the rise the occurrences of teenage pregnancies. Analysis and evaluation of teenage pregnancy and the different conditions that might influence its rise may give researchers a clearer understanding of why teenagers, knowing what lies ahead, still take the risk of getting pregnant. By reviewing all the current data regarding this social problem, society can make inferences on what system would work or not to put a stop on teenage pregnancy.
This often neglected social problem needs much attention. Because the generation of today is more liberated in opinions, behavior and even manner of dressing, society tends to think that teenagers get pregnant early because they are rebellious and ill-mannered. This is fundamental attribution error. Teenagers are judged by their internal personalities, not the external factors present in the circumstance. Society should learn to make good inferences from aspects of the situation available to them. This will enable them to properly address the social issue at hand and find solutions for it.
References:
Allen, J., et al. (1997). Preventing Teen Pregnancy and Academic Failure: Experimental Evaluation of a Developmentally Based Approach. Child Development. 742). Ann Arbor, MI: Society for Research in Child Development.
Bonell, C. (2004). Why is teenage pregnancy conceptualized as a social problem? A review of qualitative research from the USA and UK. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 6(3). (pp. 255-272). doi: 10. 1080/13691050310001643025
Huus, K. (2010). A baby changes everything: The true cost of teen pregnancy’s uptick. www. msnbc. com. Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/35448556/ns/us_news-the_elkhart_project/
Krull, D., et. al. (1999). The Fundamental Fundamental Attribution Error: Correspondence Bias in Individualist and Collectivist Cultures. Personality and Social Behavior Bulletin. 25 (10). (pp. 1208-1219). doi: 10. 1177/0146167299258003
Levy, D. (1997). Tools of Critical Thinking: Metathoughts for Psychology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Overview, Consequences of Teenage Pregnancies. (2007). www. healthcommunities. com. Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://www. womenshealthchannel. com/teenpregnancy/index. shtml
Schinke, S. (1998). Preventing Teenage Pregnancy: Translating Research Knowledge. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 1 (1). (. 53-66). doi: 10. 1300/J137v01n01_04