Running Head: TEENAGE PREGNANCY (SOCIAL ISSUES)

Social Issues: Teenage Pregnancy

Vannessa Richards
International College of the Cayman Islands

Course: SO 201- Into to Sociology

Instructor: Srah Yisrael
Date: 11th December 2016

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Teenage pregnancy is very rampant in todays society; it is also a very

controversial topic for many people. Teenage pregnancy is defined as an unintended pregnancy
during adolescence (livestrong.com).
Some young females are victim of crime whereas others end up with teenage pregnancies out of
callousness. The various aspects related to the issue, like causes, effects and possible solutions
have been researched on.
An Interview was conducted on November 5th, 2016 with Stephanie Hyde who was a victim of
teenage pregnancy. During the interview Stephanie was very responsive and polite, the
interaction and conversation was very fluent and communicative.
Stephanie got pregnant at the age of fifteen; she was raised in a single parent
home that consisted of herself, mother and two brothers. Her mother was a victim of teenage
pregnancy as well.
Stephanies mother was very angry and disappointed when she found out about her pregnancy, at
this point Stephanie knew that the decision to keep the unborn child would be a hard one.
However her and her and baby father Paul thought long and hard about the issue in which they
even considered abortion because of the nature of the issue with their families. However, they
eventually decided on keep the child regardless of how unpleased and disappointed everyone
was. Also, Stephanie was in love with Paul so she thought keeping the child would keep him
tied to her as well.

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The couple never thought of adoption because it would not make sense to give up the child after
fighting so much battles and disappointments with their parents, especially with Stephanies
mom.
Stephanie was never educated by her mother about sex or contraception, maybe
because her mother was scared of the thought of her being sexually active at such a young age.
Stephanie thought that she and Paul should take responsibility for their actions
even though it can be scary and challenging being teenage parents.
The biggest challenge she faced was having to go on facebook and instagram and seen how
much her friend and former classmates have excelled, which made her realized how much she
has missed out on and how much she could have achieved.
Stephanie has plans on going back to school in next year September; she thinks it
might be a lot more difficult for her because she will have to take care of her child and do a full
time job at the same time. However, she is determined to take up this challenge as she wants to
prove to herself and peers that it is not impossible. She also wants to prove the people in her
community wrong that had looked down and her and thought she was deviant.
Stephanie wants to have more kids but her plan is to wait until she achieves her
home, her dream accountant career and also married to Paul.

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She also expressed that teenagers should be given more information regarding sex and
contraception so that they can avoid being victims of teenage pregnancy. Being a teenage
mother comes with a lot of stress and sacrifices which in most cases not worth it.
In my opinion, the interview was interesting, informative and beneficial, my
expectations were fulfilled.
Stephanie expanded on her explanations and all questions were answered appropriately and in
depth. This interview opened by sociological eyes in terms of being able to see this issue from
different aspects and angles.
Stephanie grew up in a single parent family structure whilst I grew up in a nuclear structure
which consisted of me, my parents and three brothers. This explained the difference in our
cultural and socioeconomic background.
According to Ferrrante, J (2016), culture is defined as the ways of life of a people. Therefore,
our languages, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and material and non-material objects passed
from one generation to the next are all a part of our culture.
Growing up I was thought everything that I need to know about sex and
contraception. My family was also very Christian based where going to Sunday school every
Sunday was the norm for us. We also believed in marriage before sex, hence, anyone who
violated these norms would be seen as deviant. Stephanie seemed to have had a different belief
and norm as her mother was a teenage pregnancy victim as well. Beliefs, norms and cultures can
be extended from one generation to the next as we live what we are thought. This explains that
Stephanie was never educated about sex and contraceptives simple because her mother was

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never educated by her parents either. Surveys also show that in most cases it is usually these
parents that are not open and will to educate their child/children about sex or other social issues
are the ones that were never educated themselves.
Human behavior is defined as the range of actions that is displayed by humans at
certain levels of growth. Attitudes, perception, genetics, culture, social norms and ethics all
affect our behavior, (reference.com). My behavior and norms were different from that of
Stephanie, in terms of family structure and school. My family was very Christian-based whereas
her mom was not a Christian. Stephanie attend Prospect primary and John Gray which had no
affiliations with any religion. I attended a Catholic school which thought me a lot of Christian
values. This school was very strict about students attire, behavior and grades. Has a female
student my school uniform (skirt) had to be six inches below our knees, I was also expected to
maintain a certain grade at all times as most school require.
Achieving a career, home and then a family is the expectation and norm of my family. This may
have been the norm that Stephanie mom wanted grow her to adopt to due to the fact that she
explained that her mother was angry and disappointed of her pregnancy.
Everyone shares different cultures, beliefs and norms. Culture can be influenced
directly or indirectly by our surroundings. Television, people, social media, etc can all be
influences as they all affect us either positively or negatively and it is also human nature to live
what we are thought.

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In conclusion, people must take collective responsibilities of talking to their teens about sex,
pregnancy and relationships regardless of cultural background and beliefs so that they will be
aware of whatever that occurs if they are in any relationships that parents are not aware of.

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References
Ferrante, J. (2015). Sociology: A Global Perspective
What are the factors that affect human behavior? (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2016, from
https://www.reference.com/science/factors-affect-human-behavior-3512986d01e403d4
What Are the Causes of Teenage Pregnancy? (2015). Retrieved December 11, 2016, from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/146681-what-are-the-causes-of-teenage-pregnancy/