In the “old days” it was commonplace for a young girl to be married off to an older more established male in order to be provided for as well as to be the bearer of his children. The sign that a girl was ready to be married was menstruation. While this concept is no longer socially acceptable there are stigmas that center around young girls and sexual intercourse. Mr. Males, in his article, argues the inability to disentwine “adult” sex and “teenage” sex when approaching sexual education in schools. He presents that a “large majority of ‘teenage’ pregnancies are caused by adults” (1) as well as the possibility that “many adults model unhealthy sexual behaviors” (2). In an effort to change the perception of teen mothers Males quotes from a study by Arlene Stiffman and colleagues saying “the adolescent mother , in contrast with the sexually active adolescent who is not a mother, feels better about herself and engages in fewer overt undesirable behaviors” (4). Armed with this information it is important to move on to the next argument which addresses “teen pregnancy” in connection with statutory rape.
In a society that is finding ways to normalize teen pregnancy, in order to promote support for teen mothers, we often turn a blind eye to a bigger problem that is being created. Because of the fact that teen pregnancy and sexuality is being identified and glorified, in ways we place immense blame and responsibility on the shoulders of these young girls and often overlook the instances of sexual misconduct perpetrated by adult males. Kandaki and Smith argue that “teen pregnancy, child sexual abuse and statutory rape are commonplace behaviors in our society… not only common but also to some degree, immoral” (170). Another issue that must be contended with is that even the legal system is guilty of implicating the underage female in the sexual misconduct of the adult males which allows for public misperception of fault and responsibility in these particular situations (Kandaki and Smith 175). Another argument that Kandaki and Smith make is that victims of statutory rape, specifically those resulting in teen pregnancy are often further victimized by the idea that they are “willing participants of sexual acts with adults” (178). Depending on the age gap society adjusts the amount of blame they are willing to place on the victim, in order to justify and normalize this behavior within our society.
This victimization now being placed on these young teen mothers, makes a complex and difficult situation even worse. The statistics that are stacked against teen moms when it comes to finishing their education and living off of government support is a giant weight that has been placed upon our youth. Add in the sociological stigma of being a victim of statutory rape and the trauma that these young girls are dealing with is a recipe for disaster. In an interview with Alex Ronan, Malone and Vianna shed light on what exactly it is to be a pregnant teen in the United States. They each give examples of how they were supported by their peers however most of the adults created the difficult situations that they were forced to deal with. These girls were shamed and blamed for their predicament rather than given the support that they would need for success.
So why would our society have developed such a stigma against teen pregnancy when a hundred and fifty years ago this was the norm? Is it possible that shows such as “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” have forced us to see our youth differently. There are several conversations and even a book that was published on how these shows are affecting the “teen pregnancy” rates and whether or not they are promoting sexual promiscuity as well as “glorifying” the teenage mom. In her article Dockterman presents that the intent of MTV and the teens filmed on “16 and Pregnant” were hoping to discourage “teen pregnancy” and she even states that four years into recording that rates were at a “record low”. However “parents and educators worried that (the show) glamorized teen pregnancy… many of the show’s stars become celebrities… [which] doesn’t hurt the impression that having a child while in high school is one way to get attention” (Dockterman). Martins and colleagues also reiterate that “adolescents’ exposure to teen mom reality programming was related to an increased tendency to believe that teen mothers have and enviable quality of life, involved fathers, and active social lives” (1550). These shows however tend to omit the complicated financial and healthcare issues associated with teen pregnancy (Martins et al. 1554). Dockterman looks at several different studies that teeter on either side of the argument yet she ultimately places the responsibility on the “homes and schools” for the sexual education and reinforcement of associated risks to teens (9). Giggey in her review of the book “MTV and Teen Pregnancy: Critical Essays on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom” discusses how television programs are using “unplanned pregnancy as a plot device to explore the consequences of sex, with the goal of containing sexuality by the end of the episode (177). She feels that these shows “reposition teen pregnancy as an individual problem… [and] erases the ways in which pregnancy contributed to and perpetuates systemic poverty” (Giggey 179).
Ultimately the combination of these sources encompass the areas of rape, teen pregnancy and the plausible perception of teens by shows presented on MTV regarding teen pregnancy however a vacancy I’m finding is how do these shows affect the perception of adults, such as lawmakers and educators, on teen mothers and furthermore does it perpetuate the stigma of blame we place on the young victims of statutory rape. I am looking to interview a victim or victims of statutory rape as well as administer a survey on the perception of young mothers and shows like the ones presented on MTV and also analyze an episode of both “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” in order to better understand the implications that these shows may have on the perceived fault and accusations in statutory rape cases.
Works Cited
Males, Mike. “Poverty, Rape, Adult/Teen Sex: Why `pregnancy Prevention’ Programs Don’t Work.” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 75, no. 5, Jan. 1994, p. 407. EBSCOhost, bulldogs.tlu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9403303550&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Kandakai, Tina L., and Leonie C.r. Smith. “Denormalizing a Historical Problem: Teen Pregnancy, Policy, and Public Health Action.” American Journal of Health Behavior, vol. 31, no. 2, Jan. 2007, pp. 170–180., doi:10.5993/ajhb.31.2.6.
Vianna, Natasha, and Gloria Malone. “Teen Moms Need Support, Not Shame.” The Cut, 8 May 2015, www.thecut.com/2015/05/teen-moms-need-support-not-shame.html.
Dockterman, Eliana. “Does 16 and Pregnant Prevent or Promote Teen Pregnancy?” Time.Com, Jan. 2014, p. 1. EBSCOhost, bulldogs.tlu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=93722296&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Martins, Nicole, et al. “A Content Analysis of Teen Parenthood in ‘Teen Mom’ Reality Programming.” Health Communication, vol. 31, no. 12, Dec. 2016, pp. 1548–1556. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1089465.
Giggey, Lindsay. “MTV and Teen Pregnancy: Critical Essays on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom.” Cinema Journal, vol. 57, no. 1, Fall 2017, pp. 177–181. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/cj.2017.0069.
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