Literature Review: Teenage Pregnancy

 Romantic relationship nowadays has become a norm to teenagers and has grown tolerable by the millennial parents. Teenagers are supposed to enjoy and learn more about life; they should less focus on romantic relationship because they are vulnerable and their aggressiveness to engage into premarital sex is higher. The shift of culture when it comes to romantic relationship has ignited various social dilemma specially to developing countries like the Philippines. Because teenagers are not capable of dealing with the consequences that romantic relationship may bring, they tend to cause chaos and issues that affects mental health and family issues. Early child bearing mothers and fathers in the country are increasing which is causing an upward trend on poverty, overpopulation, unemployment, education deficit and depression.

The consequences of romantic relationships for teenagers last longer than we can imagine; bearing a child at an early age will result to lack of education as compared to those who postpone their pregnancy at a later age. As a result, teenage parents – especially women – will have limited access to better job opportunities, worst case is they will get no opportunities at all. Engaging into a romantic relationship at an early age can result to starting a family before they become mature, this kind of family is unstable because teenagers are not yet equipped with right mindset to build and grow a family that has a strong foundation. They also tend to bear more kids as compared to those who finished their education and plan their family at a later age. (Card & Wise, 1978)

Parents must implement rules and restrictions within their household that will help them regulate the effects of romantic relationship to their kids. It is the parent’s basic responsibility to educate their children about the possible results and consequences of kids engaging into romantic relationship at an early age. The consequences of this action are real and the effects are long-lasting; parents should mitigate financial hardship, unstable marriage, education deficits, poor health and behavioral outcomes. They must not tolerate unsupervised romantic relationship or should not allow their kids to engage into this until they grow mature and financially stable.

References:

Card, J. J., & Wise, L. L. (1978). Teenage Mothers and Teenage Fathers: The Impact of Early Childbearing On the Parents’ Personal and Professional Lives. Family Planning Perspectives, 10(4), 199–205. https://doi.org/10.2307/2134267

Furstenberg, F. F., Levine, J. A., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1990). The Children of Teenage Mothers: Patterns of Early Childbearing in Two Generations. Family Planning Perspectives, 22(2), 54–61. https://doi.org/10.2307/2135509

Thornberry, T. P., Smith, C. A., & Howard, G. J. (1997). Risk Factors for Teenage Fatherhood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59(3), 505–522. https://doi.org/10.2307/353942