1. ISSUES IN EXPANDING FAMILIES: TEENAGE PARENTHOOD
Individuals and Families: Diverse Perspectives
Chapter 11 - Unit 4

2. Teenage Parenthood
Becoming a teen parent impacts an individual immediately
They are launched into the adult world, with adult expectations and adult responsibilities
Unsurprisingly, teenaged parents and their children are seen to have more negative outcomes than adult families and lone-parent families (Dryburgh, 2001)
Becoming pregnant as a teenager forces undue strain on an already stressed growth period. Teenagers are just finishing and at times only beginning their transition from childhood into adolescence and getting pregnant at this time puts added risk to their own growth as well as that of the infant inside them.

3. Teenaged Parenthood
What are your assumptions about teenaged pregnancy?

4. Fewer Teenaged Parents
Teen pregnancies are declining
Research suggests that teens are beginning to engage in sexual activities at a later age
There is an increase in the use of condoms (Rotermann, 2008)
The rate of abortions has increased for teens aged 15 to 17 (Dryburgh, 2001)
Immigrant teens have a lower likelihood of being teen mothers than native Canadian teens who are not visible minorities (Luong, 2008)
Date
Number of Births by Teen Mothers
1997
19 724
2007
16 180
(Ambert, 2006)

5. What would life resemble?
What are some characteristics that clearly describe a teenaged parent?

6. Who are teenaged parents?
In the early 1970s, 75% of teen mothers were married
Currently, almost 80% of teen mothers are unmarried
Most, single teen mothers live at home with their parents
Often teen mothers were born to teen parents— which means that the cycle continues (Ambert, 2006)

7. Outcomes of Teenage Pregnancy
How can the changes in the chart be explained? How might the chart look today?

8. Teen Parents More likely to experience more family transitions
Have a higher probability of multiple cohabitations
More likely to move in and out of relationships
Have a difficult time finding employment
Have income fluctuations and are more likely to be poor
Have lower education
Tend to be socially isolated
(Ambert, 2006)

9. What about teen fathers?
Research on the father’s role in parenting has been limited
Research on teen fathers is even more limited because far fewer teen fathers maintain a relationship with their children
Teen fathers:
Less educated than older fathers
Associate more with deviant peers
Tend to be unemployed or work in lower-paying jobs
Due to the social status of being a teen father, they may be
more involved when children are younger, but this lessens
as the children become older
(Ambert, 2006)

10. Consequences of Teen Pregnancy
Teen pregnancy affects many individuals and has an impact on many societal structures
The consequences impact:
The parents
The child
The parents of the teenaged parent

11. Effects on Parents
Socially, have less in common with parents that are older
Poor physical health due to living conditions and habits
Higher rates of depression
Diminished parenting ability
More stress
More likely to have the child removed from home
More likely to experience abuse or sexual assault
Greater chance of addiction
The health and social issues that teen parents experience
(Ambert, 2006)

12. Style of Parenting use by Teens
Teen parents tend to use authoritarian or permissive parenting styles and research indicates that children are better adjusted when parents use an authoritative style of parenting.

13. Effects on the Child
The children of teenaged parents face many challenges:
They are more likely to be aggressive, hostile and hyperactive
Tend to perform more poorly in school
They are more likely to become young offenders if they are not properly supervised
Older children of teenaged parents may continue the cycle of poverty due to lack of education and limited employment opportunities
(Ambert, 2006)

14. Effects on the Parents of the Teen Parent
Between 30% and 50% of teen mothers live with their parents after the birth of their child
This causes age condensing which means that several life-course stages are overlapping
Often new grandparents may be approaching middle age and are dealing with their own stresses
Conflicts may arise over childcare responsibilities, education, finances, and parenting styles
Some poor families may not have the resources to support the teen parent
Some parents do not offer their teen any support
(Ambert, 2006)

15. Teens and Society
How does society react to teenaged parenthood?

16. The Reaction of a Society
Due to the negative consequences of teen pregnancy, society implements a number of preventative policies to reduce the number of children born to teenagers
Governments also implement social policies to support teen parents
Social supports should address the factors that can improve the long-term outcome of children of teenaged parents

17. Where can teens find help?
What social agencies are available in your community to help teen parents and their children?