Why did teen pregnancy become so stigmatized?

It became an issue in the late 1800's when more and more teens began to refuse marriages negotiated by their parents. They wanted to choose their own husbands and they wanted to get an education and have careers. Basically, it started when women began to fight for the same rights men had at the time. Due to advances in medical technology humans live much longer and are healthier. Hence, women can give birth later in life and they CHOSE to take advantage of that. Soon after women began to take advantage of their new found freedoms, they soon found themselves pregnant and unmarried and the young men were under no obligation to be forced into marriage by the families involved. Unfortunately, the fallout of all of this new found freedom was the "old school" beliefs clashed with the younger generation and these young women were scorned for their "improper" behavior and rushed off to have their children and be rushed back home saying they had been to Europe for a year or caring for a sick great aunt. They still didn't have enough freedom to choose to keep the child if they wanted to. The parents forced adoption on them. That mentality led to the current trend of teens being "pressured" into giving up their children so that they could go on with their lives as previously planned. But, many teens are now refusing. The problem now is that your parents are legally responsible for you until you turn 18 and over the past 100 years laws have been implemented to protect children from abuse, such as working them, not educating them, etc. So, the parents are legally obligated to care for their children until they are 18.

So, the stigma with current teen pregnancies revolves around their inability to care for their babies without help from their parents and/or government social programs. If a teen is able to care for themself and their baby, they can petition the court to emancipate them, which makes them legally responsible for themselves. This results in taking away the social stigma and all is well. Adult tax payers simply do not want to pay for programs to raise babies, so they look down on anyone - not just teens that chooses to keep a child they cannot care for financially.

I believe accelerated educational programs and automatic emancipation laws for teen single moms would solve all of these issues. If you choose to have and keep a baby, then you are on your own and you are a functioning member of society and get the respect you deserve for choosing that path.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

When your grandmothers were having babies there wasn't much for a woman to do with her life besides get married and start a family. Women rarely went to college and usually didn't work after they got married. Women didn't have babies out of wedlock as frequently. Furthermore a working class man with a high school education could get a decent job that would pay him enough to support a wife who did not work and a few kids.

None of these things are true anymore. The world is a different place. Having a baby in your teens means that many of the things that you could do with your life (that your grandmother couldn't, even if she wanted to) are no longer an option. And an education is more and more necessary to earn the income to raise a family.

Whats wrong with being an unmarried mother? Me and my partner are in our 20s and are in a commited life long relationship and planned our daughter. We are not religious and feel there is no need for us to get married. Its just not something we are interested in. Anyway i know this isnt your question but you said you can understand how unwed pregnancys became stigmatized and I dont understand how we should be stigmatized. We are just as good parents as any married couple. we dont need a peice of paper to show us that we are more then capable of raising a happy and healthy child.

I think you touched on some very good reasons of how teenage moms got so stigmatised against. I think alot of it is because of what so many teenagers do these days. most teenagers drink and party when back in your grandparents day they didnt really do that. In our grandparents day people grew up alot faster then they do today. people judge teenage moms because they compare them to what most people in their age group are doing. They presume that because their 17 year old friends are all partying and drinking that they will want to do the same and so they are not responsible enough to have children. It is very sad for teenage parents that do a very good job raising their kides. It must be hard with so many people looking down on them when they dont deserve it.

Because Americas public education system is an absolute failure. These other countries that have low teen pregnancy rates have much better public education and teens there have more hope for a better future. As opposed to here in the states.

My 14 yr old great grandma got pregnant out of wedlock. This was in 1927. She married her 16 yr old boyfriend, he got a job with the railroad and they lived with her parents for 1 year while he built a house for them. I don't mean he hired someone to build it, he built it himself. They stayed married for 46 years until she died and they had 6 more kids.

I don't think 14 and 16 yr olds are this responsible today. And there aren't many jobs a 16 yr old can find today with no education that would pay to support a family.

That's just one theory.

edit:

I just read my answer again. Holy Crap! My 16 yr grandpa worked as a switchman for the railroad. The railroad. My 16 yr old worked at McDonalds and complained the whole time. Why are kids so different today? It seems as though we have regressed. Wow! Times sure have changed but I haven't decided if it's for the better. I'm gonna have to think on that for a while.

I do think though right now there is an epidemic of teen pregnancies as their have been over the past 10 years. The rate is increasing. I don't think it is "too young" to parent; however I think work should be done to PREVENT these pregnancies to start with.

I think the world is different from our grandmothers. The new generation is a different duck of kids living in a way different world.

I just wanted to answer the "belief" that teen pregnancies is "epidemic" over the past 10 years. Actually, teen pregnancy is at the lowest level it's been in 30 years. Which I think is great news! More interesting stat's below:

"The teenage pregnancy rate in this country is at its lowest level in 30 years, down 36% since its peak in 1990. A growing body of research suggests that both increased abstinence and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy.

• The teenage pregnancy rate among those who ever had intercourse declined 28% between 1990 & 2002.

• The teenage birthrate in 2002 was 30% lower than the peak rate of 61.8 births per 1,000 women, reached in 1991.

• Between 1988 & 2000, teenage pregnancy rates declined in every state & in the District of Columbia.

• By 2002, the teenage abortion rate had dropped by 50% from its peak in 1988.

• From 1986 to 2002, the proportion of teenage pregnancies ending in abortion declined more than one-quarter from 46% to 34% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds.

• Among black women aged 15–19, the nationwide pregnancy rate fell by 40% between 1990 & 2002.

• Among white teenagers, it declined by 34% during the same time period.

• Among Hispanic teenagers, who may be of any race, the pregnancy rate increased slightly from 1991–1992, but by 2002 was 19% lower than the 1990 rate.

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstat...

As far as the 'stigma' of teen pregnancy goes, it may have started after WWII with the huge growth in the middle class. Before WWII, about 1/3 of the population was middle class. Following WWII, because of the GI Bill, VA loans, etc., the middle class jumped to about 2/3rds of the population. There was huge pressure to conform throughout the late 40's & 50's. The 'new' middle class didn't want the 'shame' of unwed pregnancy to threaten their social position. Teen pregnancy is nothing new.

I am both adopted and have 2 adopted children, and I agree with you 100%. When I say that I am not saying that I am not thankful that I was adopted, I am. What I am saying is that some mature teens are able to take care of their children. I know a few that do. However, I also know a few teens and few older mothers, that should not be mothers at all. Age really has nothing to do with it. When a teen or older women gets pregnant and there is absolutely no way that they can raise their child, the option of adoption is awesome and wonderful.

teen pregnancy stigmatized

I think you answered your question. In our great grandma's time all that was expected of a woman was marriage and raising a child.

Now my parents expected me to finish college and get a job before i went the marriage and baby route. If i had gotten pregnant before i finished my education it would have been a huge disappointment and also since women don't stay at home anymore they'd be unable to offer support as a family as used to be done during gran'ma days.