Transitions to motherhood: young women’s desire for respectability, responsibility and moral worth
Authors
Calver, KayIssue Date
2019-08-17Subjects
transitionsidentity
pregnancy
teenage pregnancy
parenting
parents
exclusion
social exclusion
employment
education
Subject Categories::L300 Sociology
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In the UK, teenage motherhood is depicted in the media and government policy as highly negative and problematic. Pregnant and mothering young women are constructed as socially excluded members of society who belong to an assumed underclass who lack responsibility and respectability. This article draws on the views and perspectives of pregnant and mothering young women in the east of England to examine how positive and successful subjects are defined and understood. It is illustrated how this group of working class young women negotiated and resisted their positioning as 'unfit' mothers and 'bad' citizens. Central to their narratives was a desire to reassert themselves as respectable and responsible individuals through engaging in education and employment in order to achieve financial independence. It is argued that this notion of respectability provides a limited and limiting understanding of inclusion and moral worth for working class young women.Citation
Calver K (2020) 'Transitions to motherhood: young women’s desire for respectability, responsibility and moral worth', Journal of Youth Studies, 23 (8), pp.1071-1085.Publisher
Taylor & FrancisJournal
Journal of Youth StudiesAdditional Links
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13676261.2019.1655140Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1367-6261ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/13676261.2019.1655140
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