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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Erdmans, Mary Patrice, author.

Black, Timothy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Teenage pregnancy--United States.

Teenage pregnancy.

Teenage girls--United States--Social conditions.

Teenage girls.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (915 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

2015.

Oakland, California : University of California Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

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

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780520283428

0520283422

9780520959286

0520959280

OCLC:

898421638