1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910807442703321

Autore

Erdmans Mary Patrice

Titolo

On becoming a teen mom : life before pregnancy / / Mary Patrice Erdmans and Timothy Black

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oakland, California : , : University of California Press, , 2015

©2015

ISBN

0-520-28342-2

0-520-95928-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (915 p.)

Disciplina

306.874/32

Soggetti

Teenage pregnancy - United States

Teenage girls - United States - Social conditions

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: The Backstory to the Baby -- Chapter 1. The Distraction -- Chapter 2. Young Young Mothers -- Chapter 3. Child Sexual Abuse -- Chapter 4. Violence against Women -- Chapter 5. Education -- Chapter 6. Contraception and Abortion -- Conclusion: Getting beyond the Distraction -- Appendix A: Listening to Life Stories -- Appendix B: Tables -- Notes -- References -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

In 2013, New York City launched a public education campaign with posters of frowning or crying children saying such things as "I'm twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen" and "Honestly, Mom, chances are he won't stay with you." Campaigns like this support a public narrative that portrays teen mothers as threatening the moral order, bankrupting state coffers, and causing high rates of poverty, incarceration, and school dropout. These efforts demonize teen mothers but tell us nothing about their lives before they became pregnant. In this myth-shattering book, the authors tell the life stories of 108 brown, white, and black teen mothers, exposing the problems in their lives often overlooked in pregnancy prevention campaigns. Some stories are tragic and painful, marked by sexual abuse, partner violence, and school failure. Others depict "girl next



door" characters whose unintended pregnancies lay bare insidious gender disparities. Offering a fresh perspective on the links between teen births and social inequalities, this book demonstrates how the intersecting hierarchies of gender, race, and class shape the biographies of young mothers.