Teen Motherhood Issue - Research Paper Example

Teen Motherhood One of the most common incidence and trends for most young adults these days, especially girls,is teenage pregnancy and teenage motherhood. These cases cannot be taken separately since one cannot discuss the latter issue without interrogating the former. To make the case more sensible and critical, there is a need to synthesize the common grounding of the issues of deviances presented. To set the discussion, this paper shall assess the notions of the female body and femininity, which are the roots of cultural transgressions and regressions regarding the concerned deviance. As pointed out, the issues presented cannot be taken separately. With the issues, one must clearly understand what are the conditions and changes that allow the occurrence of such phenomenon. There is a need to look at the implications on a personal and social level. On a popular level, teenage pregnancy or teenage moms are usually girls who are at their adolescent periods that have been pregnant and gave birth to an offspring. One of the things that are considered to be offensive about this matter is that it violates several conditions. Presumably, one of them is the sanctity or innocence of a child where virginity is preserved. Another is that teenage years are supposed to be developmental. Undeniably, issues of morality propagated in a highly conservative condition. The said matter also deals with issues within the family. On a cultural level, the issue deals with the conservative culture, especially on how patriarchy partly dominates the discourse surrounding a young female body. It must be subdued and must act in compliance to the norms set. These norms are the ones that must be in question since intervention of the body happens. Most of the time, these acts are considered to be delinquent. It is something that is considered unacceptable due to the fact that there are certain standards that define how a child or a teen should act. With the case pointed out, there is a diversion and a social impetus. Social and familial conditions contribute to the occurrences of these conditions (Wilkinson 1974). Moral entrepreneurs concerned in this case, assumingly, are social workers, parents and other social institutions like the government and church, which definitely have a say on the matter concerned (Elliots 2011). Families, most importantly, the parents are the ones who define how and should their children act in public in accordance to the norms set by the society. Social workers, on the other hand, are the ones who try to find solution to these alleged moral dilemmas in a highly conservative cultural consciousness. Regarding the government and the church, both are institutions, which have a greater impact on the issue. These are the ones that create policies and regulation mechanisms on how to address these behaviors. In most cases, both have different sides on the issue due to conflicting roles and beliefs. Nevertheless, the deviance involved does not automatically mean that it is totally bad. Rather, it questions the traditional beliefs and sets forth a new way of looking at things. The presence of these problems must be given solutions instead of imposing more stringent rules and unreasonable judgments, which do not help solving the matter. Presumably, the presence of deviant behaviors must help the society to change and progress to accommodate behaviors, especially on how these issues must be understood and dealt with carefully. However, there is a need to look at the way parents treat the teens nowadays. Also, on how teens view about sex since these are questions and issues, which are not discussed to them (Elliot 2011). These are the conditions that can be addressed, which make the issue involved highly functional. In light of the discussion, there is also a need to look at the important factors that concerns the behavior involved. Teen, children and unwanted incidences are the ones that can be considered symbols of this issue. These are the ones that complicate different social conditions. Teens, specifically, girls, are the ones who are subjugated and problematized in this case. They are the ones who suffer the different social and moral judgments that can affect their behavior and manner of living. The children, the ones who are born from these teen moms, are also judged by the society. Unwanted incidences, on the other hands, can be counted as lack of information and knowledge about sex, rape and sexual aggressions by abusers of teens and consensual sex from the parties involved. These are conditions that definitely complicate the matter involved. For the issue, it is deemed fit by the researcher to use feminism since this deals with women and how they are framed, victimized and empowered in conjunction with the deviant behavior involved. On a general sense, feminism is a study where the experiences of women are taken into account. In this case, the study shall focus more on how the girls’ bodies are victims and abused by socio – cultural conditions. At the same time, this shall assess the different symbols or associated images to the issue to explicate the complications that surrounds the matter. Feminism, in this case, speaks for the bodies of girls. However, there is a need at the complex discourse underneath. For Butler (1993), the women are oftentimes considered to be objects reproduction in the eyes of men. This clearly reinforces the patriarchal domination of the body of women since the reproduction is a natural phenomenon. (Butler 1993). The danger with this is that there is an abuse of the female body. Putting in the context of rape, which can be one of the precursors of teenage pregnancy since abuses are recurring along that line, it cannot be denied that this is an incursion towards the female body to show the domination of men (Cocca 2002). Such abuse of the body is derogatory because the effect is harsh on the female body since there is no consent. However, on the other side of the issue, the consensual sex and lack of knowledge cannot be overlooked. Even if it may be valid to say that the command of the body is innate, lack of knowledge of the complications that may rise along the line yield unforgivable consequences. The consequences that rise along the way are life – changing, especially for women. With this, protectionist policies must be implemented since securing the safety of the girls or teens that are victims of such is highly needed. Even if it may be considered valid that teenagers become hormonal, there is a need to regulate their behavior. Regulation provides avenues for them to be more responsible and in command of their bodies in accordance, not to social rules that can restrict them, but more on thinking of their welfare in the long run (Fausto – Sterling 2000). However, for Kristeva (2001), there is a need to look at the condition why pregnancy is considered to be a moral thing: religion is very integrated with it. This condition is oftentimes the basis of moral judgments since pregnancy is integral to marriage and to the agenda of religion for reproduction and subjugation of women by men. One of the problems that come along the line is the justification for the deviants. This definitely focuses on how they are the able to express themselves and act in accordance to social standards despite of the violations incurred. The deviants justify themselves by simply giving birth to a child at a very young age. Another clear justification of them is that with such incident mentioned, they have engaged into sexual activities at a very young age. This then reinforces the notion that teens are clearly not guided by their parents about such issues that leads to deviance and problems (Wilkinson 1974). When it comes to the problematic instances like rape, the girls are having a hard time justifying themselves yet the only way for them to be protected is that very fact that they are minors, which are abused and exploited by those who are obsessed in intruding their bodies for pleasure without any regard to complications that will happen on the part of the girl (Cocca 2002). When it comes to management, parents are the ones who help them primarily since they have the responsibility of taking care of the child regardless of the mistake and help her get back to the right track (Elliot 2011). There is just a bit of disjuncture since the parents intervene for the welfare of the child and yet the child must assert her command of her life at the same time since she has entered the phase of adulthood at early age. This happened for the very fact the child has to nurse her own child now. One must be understood is that these conditions lead to judgments and perception from others. Most of the time, immoral and pervert are the commonly used terms to judge these deviants. By extension, even their parents are subject to scrutiny based on the condition that they have been neglected and not guided properly. These judgments are harsh on that level alone. Thus, the bias is twofold: on the parents and the child. When it comes to neutralizing the stigma, the social workers role becomes crucial since knowledge and information dissemination must be availed to show the need and importance to educate people about the complex condition surrounding the matter (Cocca 2012). Another thing to deal with is that families become mediators of the condition as well (Wilkinson 1974). These people become vital institutions of recovery for the child’s abused and vindicated body. Their way of re – nurturing and protecting the child and the newborn becomes integral. It is not just the pregnant who will suffer the harsh judgments but also the child born from such condition. It is important that the ones who predicate such judgments are the conservative ways of thinking. By engaging the core of ignorance of these people who use standards of morality instead of clearly engaging the matter in an objective and unbiased manner. The role of conservative perception is also crucial since this is the one that must be neutralize by the people and institutions concerned to lessen the predicaments. On the level of denying harm, this is also related to the issue of engaging the stigma since both are already forms of harm. Violence results from such engagement due to lack of understanding between both parties involved or culture and individual. To deny harm is to fight. Reintegration is crucial in this case. Since these teen moms have been victims of decisions, which can be considered out of their control to a certain extent, it is unfair if they are not given another chance to change the conditions for them. Another thing is that once reintegrated, they have to take up the responsibility towards their mistakes. Their responsibility becomes crucial. They also have to stand up against the harsh judgments and biases that will be imposed their child. Thus, battling the double standards becomes embedded all throughout their lives. Once responsibilities and actions are guaranteed to be manifesting an individual of decent behavior, that is the time that the harsh conditions be stopped. In the end, the teen moms are victims yet they are also fighters. There is just a need to be sensitive about their plights. It will not always be the role of institutions and education to eradicate the bias. Sensitivity to their conditions and problems are vital to make their condition understandable. Most of the time, judgments come first before understanding. Once this happens, there is no room for understanding the intricacies and complications. Teenage pregnancy and motherhood are conditions that cannot be taken separately. Once they have assumed the stage of pregnancy, they must accept that they will become mothers in their own right. With this, their responsibility becomes more. It is not just fighting for themselves but also for their child. This is the point where adulthood enters at a young change. Thus, the mom must leave childish or teeny life. However, it does not mean that the moms cannot change themselves for the better. There is still a room for progress. There is a need to be more assertive on their part. Guidance is needed for them because it will not be an easy way to go on forward. Conditions are not the same. A lot has changed. Eradication of bias, being fair and understanding conditions are the things and values that must be developed in most people nowadays to be more sensitive and accepting of the flight of these mom who are victims that must be empowered. References Butler, J. (1993). On The Discursive Limits of Sex. New York, Routledge. Cocca, C. (2002). From ‘Welfare Queen’ to ‘Exploited Teen’: Welfare Dependency Statutory Rape, and Moral Panic. NWSA Journal. Vol. 14, No. 2. Elliot, S. (2011). Parents Constructions of Teen Sexuality: Sex Panics, Contradictory Discourses, and Social Inequality. Symbolic Interaction. Vol. 33, No. 2. Fausto – Sterling (2000). Sexing the Body. New York, Basic Books. Kristeva, J. (2001). Sacred and the Feminine. New York, Columbia University Press. Wilkinson, K. (1974). The Broken Family and Juvenile Delinquency: Scientific Explanation or Ideology? Social Problems, Vol. 21, No. 5. Read More