What's the difference between teen moms in this generation and teen moms 20-30 years ago?

Question

I keep seeing people on here bash teen moms and I want to know what the difference is. No stereotypes please.

"welfare mom," is a stereotype...not all teen moms are on welfare...I know I never was....lol

Answer 1

Teen moms 20-30 years ago were kept in secret, if the father left while they were pregnant the parents usually married them out. I don't really think the bashing is so much directed at the teen mom who got prgenant and such as it is more so at the teen moms who get pregnant once and then did it again without any concern to being caught up in the same situation. I also think the coldness and bashing comes from the frustration of all the eductaion that is out there now for birth control that wasn't as easily accessible to girls 20-30 years ago, and despite the eductaion the pregnancy rate in teens is still high. Plus a lot of them do not have a good family support system and end up not continuing their education and end up below poverty for the taxpayers to take care of. Some do go on to continue their education right away or once their children are older, just when people here teen mom they often think of the welfare payroll and kids being irresponsible and kids having kids. Just be glad you've only encountered teen mom bashing online...my OB/GYN was prejudice against teens getting pregnant and would be rough and ignorant to me. I quickly switched. She was an older German lady who was just ignorant. Nice experience for my first visit!

Answer 2

Times were so different 20 or 30 years ago. The result is usually the same. MOST teen moms are not ready for all that it takes to raise a child, but they don't realize that until it's too late. I'm not talking about the welfare issue, I'm talking about all that they have to give up when they have a child.

Answer 3

I do not beleive their is a difference.. just that there are more of them and now more and more want to keep their babies.. or maybe its not that they want to keep them more now but more often they actually do where as 20-30 years ago the teen moms were at least forced to give the kids for adoption because society would look down on them MORE then.. and really its better for the kid to be given for adoption than to be raised on welfare by a mom who partly wants to party and have fun.. still...

the reasons for teen pregnancy are about the same - kids who feel unloved and think having a kid will fill some void - but of course it never does..and just brings one more unfortunate born child into the world

it WAS easier to be a teen mom then becuase house costs were not so outragous... they at least had some hope for success...

Answer 4

One difference is that there are so many more now. A lot of the teens who are pregnant were the result of teenage pregnancy themselves. Girls just aren't getting the attention from their parents that girls were given 20-30 years ago. Some will say that it's because more moms are working now but i disagree 100%. It's not moms working that have increased teenage pregnancy, it's broken homes and parents who are more involved in their own lives (dating, friends, and their own extra-curricular activities.) I'm not saying that it doesn't happen in families that are loving, it just isn't as common and the families that are loving and strong and supportive are much more equipped to handle such a situation. The fact is that girls are having sex younger with more people and they are much more irresponsible than teen girls were 20-30 years ago.

Answer 5

30 years ago when you got pregnant, most were out of high school and would marry the man. If they choose not to marry, the girl left the area and gave the baby up. A few kept their baby's and relocated. A year or two latter they may have patched it up with their family's and moved back to the area. People just never would ask were you married. Most never new what welfare was and work, raised their child and may or may not have married latter on as for a long time this was looked down on.

Answer 6

Well, the first and immediate difference is, a lot of teen moms from 20-30 years ago weren't able to keep their children,and teen moms today do. My niece became a teen mom at 14 and kept her child and proceeded to have 3 more. My impression of teen mom's today is the horrendous struggle they have in keeping their children and themselves fed,clothed,and educated. I don't judge them personally, I just think it's an awful waste, because face it, the majority of them will never be able to better themselves. They have to be willing to work very hard to complete their education and make better lives for themselves and their children. But by essentially growing up so young, they're basically stuck at that age because they never really got to grow up in the normal way.
I hope this helps.

Answer 7

20-30 years ago it was not as easy for women to go to college, have a successful career and a life. It was also much easier for the dad (if he was a high school kid) to get a job without much formal education, and support their family 30 years ago, teen moms just sacrificed their reputation, if they were not married.
Today, it is much easier to travel, get several different jobs and explore careers, volunteer, move to different cities, etc.
Teen moms today sacrifice the whole world of opportunities that is out there. Of course, there are women who do not want all that, but that's just sad.

Answer 8

The difference is.I was a teen mom in the late 50s. we had no inside plumbing and had to heat water to do laundry in an old wringer washer hang the diapers on the line to dry and freeze dry in the winter. no such thing as pampers or wipes things were much harder but we grew up in a hurry and became very responsible rarely ever had baby sitters. we took care of our own. Times now are to easy.I had 5 children and never had pampers until my daughter in the early 70s.I thought I was in heaven but they were much more expensive than doing it the hardest and cheapest way.

Answer 9

the difference is back then they were forced to get married, or sent to live in a home where they could wait out their pregnancy then put the baby up for adoption. the parents could say the girl was visting relatives and just cover it up. now women and teen mom have more options. but people still look down on it. but its being more widely accepted.

Answer 10

I agree with you. I'm 19 years old and i'm pregnant. It wasnt planned and I know what I did was stupid but it doesnt mean im going to be a bad mother just because of my age. I mean not every teen mother is a druggy or alcoholic, or is into sleeping with every man. Some, in fact, a lot of teens now a days are very mature, and who are these people to judge us when they know nothing of our lives or lifestyles. My boyfriend and I work hard for everything we have and we are moving into our new house next week, its sad people judge before they know anything.