Teen Pregnancy: A Social Problem?

Make-up Assignment for 2/4

I would for sure consider teen pregnancy a social problem.  There is an African proverb that says "It takes a village to raise a child."  I believe this to be true and relevant to America in 2011 as well.  When the pregnant woman is married and of a socially acceptable age, the "village" is more than happy to help and aid in raising the child.  However, when the pregnant woman is a teenager, it seems the "village" only wants to turn their back.  When the pregnant teen is on welfare it is a common claim that they are just abusing the system and should get a job to support themselves and their child.  Often times the child's father is no where to be found, and as we have seen in watching 16 & Pregnant, parents aren't always happy to help with the child.  How is the new mother expected to get  job to support herself without the help of anyone to watch the child?  All the money she earns would go to daycare for someone to watch the child while she is at work, then she still doesn't have money left to pay for essentials such as food.  Taking it to another level, the new mom probably doesn't have education past high school, if even that, which makes it even harder to get a job.  There are how many college graduates are back at home because of the economy and lack of jobs, yet new teen moms are expected to be able to get a job and earn enough money to pay for everything?
On a local level, I have seen personally the lack of social supports for teen moms.  I interned and now work at a transitional living program for youth age 16-21.  Because of our funding sources we cannot accept pregnant or parenting youth. In my first month there, the three females residing at the facility had to find other arrangements because they were pregnant.  They literally had no where to go. This was especially heartbreaking for me because I knew each of the girls and knew they had every possibility to be successful even with the obstacles they faced with pregnancy if only they had some support.  This isn't to say that they won't still be the successful women I know each of the can be, but they will have more obstacles to overcome because of the lack of support surrounding them.  During my internship, there was not one week that I didn't answer at least one phone call from a pregnant teen looking for a place to go because she had been kicked out of her house.  There are no social supports in Mid-Missouri for pregnant teens at all, and a huge need for them.  Teen pregnancy will continue to be a social problem until society as a whole accepts it and the entire village can proudly play a role in raising the child.
-Megan A.