The Cause and Effects of Teenage Pregnancy Among Secondary Schools

The Cause and Effects of Teenage Pregnancy Among Secondary Schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The research exposes the cause and effect of teenage pregnancy to design effective solutions. The word teenage pregnancy cannot be further discussed without giving a brief detail of what it entails. Teenage pregnancy can be defined as when a teenage or underage girl between the ages of 13-19 becomes pregnant as a result of unprotected sexual intercourse. it can also be seen as the pregnancy of a young girl of 13-19 years mostly not married.

Every year thousands of teenagers become pregnant at a very large population to themselves, their children, and society. While the facts are clear, the issues of teenage pregnancy are complicated by our conflicting attitudes and behavior. The burdens of early childbirth on disadvantaged teens are undeniable. Trying to untangle the factors which contribute to teenage pregnancy from its consequences, however, leads to which comes first “the chicken or the egg”? (Florida Statutes. Public education, general provisions, definitions. Tallahassee, FL: Florida State Board of Education, 1995). Said that educational failure has been understood to be a negative outcome of teenagers becoming pregnant and early childbirth. But how can teens avoid becoming pregnant when talk of sex fills the airwaves, younger and younger girls are portrayed as sex objects and sex is used to sell everything from clothes to the news. Yet we are shocked at the rising number of sexually active teens.

If we are truly concerned about the welfare of babies, children, and adolescents then we must move beyond the moral panic and denial that so often distort the discussion to design an effective solution to these economic assumptions, wishful thinking, and honest acknowledgment that is still yet not understood about the causes of this problem. The causes of teenage pregnancy include the following:

1. In some places, early pregnancy is seen as a blessing and proof of the young woman’s fertility.
2. Adolescent sexual behavior, for example, 29% of teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually they didn’t want to do.
3. Lack of knowledge of contraceptives or access to them, fright, and embarrassment to seek information about contraceptives also cause teenage pregnancy.
4. Another cause is sexual abuse which studies have found that between 11-20% of pregnancy in teenagers is a direct result of rape while 60% of teenage mothers had unwanted sexual experience preceding their pregnancy.
5. Before age of 15, a majority of first intercourse experiences among, females are reported to be nonvoluntary and 25% of women who did not give birth as teens were molested.
6. Other causes of this problem include age discrepancies in relationships, dating, violence, social-economic factors, poverty, childhood environment, greed, peer pressure, etc.

Teenage pregnancy has become a public health issue because of its observed negative effects and causes on perinatal outcomes and long-term morbidity. The association of young maternal age is usually confounded, however, by the high prevalence of poverty, low level of education, which is our major, and single marital status among teenage mothers. This research assesses the independent effect of teenage pregnancy on educational disabilities and educational problems in a total number of children and teens who are mothers. According to Angola, G. “Dilemma of African Child” the spokesman for newspaper and printing cooperation, 1973), he said that teenage is an important period of development in a female’s life, it spans from the pre-puberty stage to young adulthood. Girls (teens) have a questioning mind and want to know and be taught the right attitude (s) (Margaret, O. Childhood and adolescent studies for effective teaching, revised edition, 1999). Said that worldwide range teenage pregnancy ranges from 143 per 1000 in some countries. In developed countries it is usually outside marriage and carries a social stigma in many communities and cultures, for these reasons, there have been many studies that attempt to uncover the causes and limit the number of teens who get pregnant.

Data supporting teenage pregnancy as a social issue in Nigeria include low educational levels, higher rates of poverty, and other poorer life outcomes. In some parts of this country teenage pregnancy is usually within marriage and does not involve peer stigma. Being a young mother in a developing country like ours can affect one’s education. Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school before becoming pregnant. Factors that determine which mother is likely to have a closely spaced reported birth include, marriage and education, the likelihood decreases with the level of education of the young woman or her parents and increases if she gets married. These circumstances also contribute to the likelihood of teenage pregnancy for example; recent studies suggested that most adolescent mothers have already dropped out of school before they became pregnant. In conclusion, knowledge is power so let us salvage our future by being wise and seeking to obtain and achieve success through education.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

With the changes in our society, Teenagers who are supported to be called innocent now take part in sexual activities like adults. Unfortunately, the result now becomes the problem of herself, her parents, society, and even the unborn child. The problems of this study are:

– Does teenage pregnancy result in school dropout and constitute socio-economic menace?

– Are teenagers still shy and frightened to seek information about contraceptives?

– Do teenage mothers still see the need for further studies/education?

– Do parents and guidance fail to motivate and advise their teens?

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Based on the background of this study and the stated problem above this research is set to achieve the following objectives.

– Make room for the improvement in the educational attainment of females in society.

– To encourage teenage mothers of the chances of education after birth.

– Make employment opportunities for ladies’ attitudes active.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will help to educate on the consequences of early pregnancy, on educational attainment, and also the significant negative emotional and social consequences of sexual activities leading to teenage pregnancy for the following persons/groups to benefit.

– Future mothers who would want to enjoy their family through this study would abstain from sex in order not to destroy their future.

– Parents of these teens would benefit by excluding shame or being ridiculed by friends.

– Society is also in the position to benefit because the society would be made up of planned children who are needed and reduce the population.

– The school authorities would have more students to educate with more zeal and seriousness.

– Teenagers would escape unwanted pregnancy, STD, shame, and safeguard their future.

– The future generation and unborn babies would be born into a planned, organized, and prepared environment.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Is it possible to make room for improvement of the educational attainment of females in society?
2. Can teenage mothers be encouraged of the chances of education after birth?
3. Can employment opportunities for ladies make them active?

DEFINITION OF TERMS

The meaning of special words used in the context of this research are stated below:

Teens: Year of a person’s age from 13-19

Peers: Persons who are equal in rank, age, status, or merit.

Fertility: State or condition of being fertile, being able to produce young ones.

Pregnancy: State or period of being pregnant (having a baby developing in the womb).

Sexual intercourse: Insertion of a man’s penis into a woman’s vagina.

Sexual abuse: Wrong use of sex mainly by a stronger person to a weaker one.

Consequences: Thins that result or effect of something else.

Contractive: Natural method and artificial method of preventing pregnancy.

REFERENCES

Access to Education Fact Sheet 3. 2013. Teenage Pregnancy and School Drop out in South Africa.

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Delany, A. Ismail, Z. Graham, L. & Ramkissoon, Y. 2008. Review of the Child Support Grant. Johannesburg: Community Agency for Social Enquiry.

Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. 2012. Qualitative Research. USA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Department of Basic Education. 2009. Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa: with special focus on School Going Learners. Pretoria: Human Science Research Council.