Teenage pregnancy has become a public health concern and keeps on rising steadily year after year. Teenage pregnancy can be define as any pregnancy that occurs during the teen ages 13-19. It is often referred to as teen pregnancy or adolescent pregnancy because it occurs during adolescent stage. Teenage pregnancy has gradually been normalize in our communities with girls given birth to children who are later considered as as social misfits. The high rise of this anomalous can be attributed to number of issues. But key among these are;
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Low socio-economic status is one key thing driving teenage pregnancy.Many a time, teenagers who become pregnant often comes from homes with low socio-economic status. These children often come from families who are suffering from poverty and do not have all the necessary resources to raise their wards. Some parents often feels that young girls are economic burden and therefore marry off their young daughters before they become an economic liability. Low socio-economic status also limits the control parents have on their wards. The inability of parents to take care of their children basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter forces the children to fend for themselves.Parents are often not strict on their female children because of their inability to meet their demand and thus, loose guard on them. Poverty is in deed the leading cause of teen pregnancy in Ghana.
Another driver of this influence of peer pressure. Due to the curiosity nature of teens, they tend to confide and trust in their peers even more than their parents. Females teens are often persuaded by their friends to accept or engage in illicit sexual engagement. They are often brainwashed that such act is an expression of true love and feelings for ones partner. Peers have the power to influence and manipulate their colleague to go into a relationship he/she is not ready to start. Peers portray sex as the ideal norm that every teen must indulge in or that teen would be left out so, those who do not practice it are incline to try it due to how the act has been presented to them by their peers.
Child marriage cannot be left out as the causative agent of teenage pregnancy. In male dominated societies, this practice is widespread where teen girls are given out as prides to husbands who are mostly older than them.The desire to marry virgins and avoiding infidelity marital homes accounts for early marriage. This act is paradoxically prevalent in societies where chastity is encourage. Parents often give their daughters hand in marriage to prevent the child from bringing disgrace to the family by becoming pregnant without marriage. These and many other factors force parents to hand over their daughters hand to be married.
Perhaps I can go on and list different causes that are as important as the trio listed but, I'll limit myself to tree and next time, tell you its effect on the parents be it single or both, the society and the innocent child. Maybe a possible solution to this rising phenomenon would not be bad as well.
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