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Teenage pregnancy rates are a concern for the representatives of developed nations because they signal to the rest of the world how effective their policies social, economic, cultural, political are. Statistics indicating high rates of teenage pregnancy are seen as indictment of a nation's commitment to safeguarding the interests of children, as the teenagers most likely to fall pregnant are those who have grown up in poverty and have not obtained a sufficient education. There is a good chance their own children will fall into such a trap, and so the cycle of poverty is perpetuated.

Therefore, the assumption that teenagers will not make good parents seems to stem from the generalisations formulated through the analysis of statistical data. There may be nothing intrinsically wrong with teenage parents, but the fact that they are more likely to raise their children amidst poverty certainly does not help the perception that teenage parents face an uphill battle to raise their children well. Of course, there are also poor adults who have children, but they are not harshly criticised for choosing to bring children into the world so long as they are financially independent.

Perhaps that is why there is less tolerance towards teenage parents because it is less clear how they intend to support themselves. Will they continue to live with their parents, or drop out of school in order to get a job, and what will their overall prospects be then? In the United Kingdom the media often likes to highlight cases of teenage parents and to imply that they decided to have children in order to claim benefits. This simply feeds into the negative stereotypes which pervade society's attitudes towards teenage parents.

Teenage parents may be less physically and emotionally prepared for childbirth and childrearing, but is there ever really an ideal time to have children? Raising children requires learning through doing, and so most teenagers are in a similar position as fully-grown adults; the main question is whether they are of the right temperament to take responsibility, be patient and to listen and take advice on board. Some teenage parents will obviously fare better than others, and it certainly depends on the support systems they have in place as to how well they will cope.

For a teenager to find out she is pregnant is hardly an ideal situation to find herself in, and so more should be done to educate teenagers about practising safe sex. Once a teenager decides to keep her baby, though, it would be more helpful for her to be given practical help and advice rather than to be judged for making a mistake. Since nothing is going to change the situation, it is surely a good idea to help the teenager and her child succeed in life rather than merely allowing them to become another poverty statistic.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Wilkinson.
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