Over the centuries, scholars and politicians alike have not only struggled with the issue of poverty itself, but also, with the idea that poverty can be abolished altogether. Poverty is perhaps better explained by individual circumstances and/or characteristics, such as disabilities, and the weakening foundations of family structure. While efforts to change the sociopolitical causes of poverty may produce some results, there is something that no social system in the world will ever be able to change, and that is the individual causes of poverty. Aggregate poverty is the sum of individual poverty caused by human behavior, and if the individual can’t be changed, how can poverty be abolished altogether?
In 2002 the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) reported that poverty was highest among families headed by single woman, 26.5% against 5.3% among married couples. This seems to suggest that teenage pregnancy may be one of the major causes of poverty. Let us consider, for a moment, the consequences of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing, which are serious and numerous. For example: Teen mothers are less likely to graduate from high school and more likely than their peers, who delay childbearing, to live in poverty and to rely on welfare. Children born to teenage mothers, often experience health and developmental problems and are frequently abused and/or neglected. Her partner in sexual adventure often abandons a teenage mother, who is unemployable and has no means for gathering the resources necessary to raise children. Ultimately, the support of the child and the mother is left to the government, grandparents and others.
A staggering 63 % of teen parents depend on public programs for medical needs and daily living expenses. Teenage pregnancy poses a substantial financial burden to society, estimated at $ 7 billion annually in lost tax revenues, public assistance, child healthcare, foster care and involvement with the criminal justice system. To make matters worse, the sexual behavior of our teenagers has become one of the most important health issues of our time. Not only does society dwell with unwanted pregnancies and poverty, but also with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Each year, about 1 out of every 4 sexually active teens acquires some form of STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease). The burden is so great for these young mothers, that some of them fall victim to deep depression and either become suicidal or end up killing their own babies. This is a very high price to pay for a moment of pleasure. Unfortunately, perhaps because human nature has a difficult time accepting responsibility for it’s poor decisions, poverty arising out of such individual inadequacy is usually blamed on society. I have to agree with Galbraith: society is not at fault.
Poverty itself is not the cause of teenage pregnancy or any other social malady, but individual behavior is. I grew up poor and I don’t have many happy childhood memories to share, but I didn’t get pregnant and the word sex was not part of my vocabulary until I got married. My father abandoned us before my fifth birthday and my mother was left alone to raise three children by herself. Most of my memories revolve around being hungry and having to care for my two younger siblings, while my mother worked three jobs just to feed us. If a boy got a girl pregnant, he was forced by law to marry her, get a job and support the family. As for the girl who became pregnant, the community usually shunned her. While this may account for the fact that teenage pregnancy was something almost unheard of when I was growing up, it was ultimately my mother’s iron fist rules that prevented me from becoming a statistic in later years. It’s safe to assume that, a reasonable amount of discipline when warranted is worthy of some credit as an effective tool in child rearing. Learning to become a productive member of society starts at home, and the family is the example. Children tend to copycat their parents, so, what happens when the family falls apart?
One of the cited reasons girls in poor rural communities are having children is the lack of role models. They see other young mothers getting by without a job and give it no thought beyond that. Furthermore, teens with a weak family structure seem to be more apt to succumb to peer pressure. “It’s not cool to be a virgin.” Where did this come from? What’s even more frightening is that teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in many other developed countries. What have we done wrong? Have we gone to far with the freedom afforded to children?
Perhaps our society should consider returning parental rights to the parents. Things started going down hill when our overly zealous government decided to exaggerate its interference with child rearing. If a parent or a teacher disciplines a child, the state decides it’s child abuse and the parent or teacher may end up facing criminal charges. Reversing the damage may prove difficult, so the government attempts to make amends by implementing a variety of programs to help these young mothers. While the programs are good to those who desperately need them, there seems to be very little provision against chronic abusers of the system. The teen whose parents abuse the welfare system, tend to follow the same patterns, per the old adage, the apples never fall far from the tree.
This vicious cycle can go on for generations. We should also consider changing the sex education curriculum in schools. Instead of teaching the youth about the birds and the bees and about the reproductive system, which they have time to learn about in biology class, why can’t we design the curriculum to include the horrors of poverty caused by teen pregnancy? Show them the sacrifices a teen mother has to endure, such as giving up her friends, giving up school and becoming an adult even before she has a chance to be a teen. Teach them about money management for example, the luxuries and commodities they must give up to survive on a tight budget, like the movies, hair and nail salon, eating out; managing household bills, like the telephone, and keeping them to a minimum; Include the horrors of dying from AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases; Take them on a tour of the real world such as poor neighborhoods, shelters, hospitals and welfare offices, where these young mothers sit and wait for hours for their food stamps and are often treated like second class citizens. This alone should discourage any teen from becoming pregnant.
Taking on an adult role as a mother does not necessarily qualify teenagers to make adult decisions. Yet, they are raising children and often neglecting them as a result of poor judgment. These are the role models for children who will, in all likelihood, grow up only to become another poverty statistic.
Sources:
Annie E. Casey Foundation
US Census
Institute for Research on Poverty
