Is teenage pregnancy a social problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Is teenage pregnancy a social problem - Essay Example The increase in the rate of unwed teenage births weakens the integrity of a country. Research suggests that millions of teenage girls get pregnant in the United States every year most of which are those who did not use any contraceptive, as is found by Jewell, Tacchi and Donovan (2000) who asserted in their study that â€Å"young mothers revealed more difficulties getting access to reliable contraceptive services, and dissatisfaction with sex education in schools† (p.522). Gillham (1997, p.10) states that whether one sees teenage pregnancy as a social problem is entirely one’s own perspective. To some teenagers, getting pregnant would be a total disaster of their personalities if they want to step ahead in their professional lives; while, there are other teenagers who find themselves enjoying the situation. Statistics According to Gillham (1997, p. 1), the perception that the out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies are increasing with every passing year is not correct. He asser ts that 1991 saw â€Å"10,000† fewer teenage maternities than 1981, while the rate was higher in 1971 and was highest in 1961. Gillham however draws a line between conception rate and maternity rate, and states that since the increased use of contraceptive measures and high trend of pregnancy termination or, in other words, abortion, the conception rate has increased with passing years but the maternity rate has lowered. Research suggests that 4 out 10 girls get pregnant every year which makes up around one million of teenage girls in the United States. Gillham (1997, p.10) mentions a study according to which 23 percent of the participants of the study intended for pregnancy, and the rate has increased to 40 percent in a recent such study. Boonstra (2002) conducted a survey and the study revealed that the rate of unmarried childbirths in teenagers has increased â€Å"from 13% in 1950 to 79% in 2000†. Moralization The increase in the rate of teenage pregnancy has given rise to the hot debate regarding public morality. The emphasis on morality has not made a drastic shift from teenage sexuality to no teenage sex at all, but actually it has given rise to safe sex with the use of contraceptive measures. Mothering on welfare (Breheny & Stephens, 2007; Phoenix, 1991, p.87) or issues like sexually transmitted diseases as AIDS (Teenage Pregnancy, 1999) has not compelled the teenagers to refrain from having sex; however, it has made them choosy about their sexual partners while using contraceptives. Although most teenagers do not give serious thought to AIDS but the debate on it has made it a public discussion. The society ignores the fact that the teenagers are not the ones who should be expected to make a revolution against teenage pregnancies; instead, they are the ones who are the recipients of this sexual inheritance from their forefathers. Moralists also overlook the fact that teenage pregnancies do not stand alone as a social problem but there are a number of social issues that are associated with them which include education, employment, politics,