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Teen pregnancy has always been a controversial topic in the United States because of its’ implications that it comes with for the individual and everyone else. According too the CDC in 2017, Hispanic women had a rate of 28.9 per 1000 in teen pregnancy, which was the second highest rate of all the ethnicities accounted for in the study. Personally, my birth was a result of Latin teen pregnancy among most other members of my family generationally. This stopped with my generation within my family. 

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Major Findings

- Socioeconomic status directly impacts one’s likelihood of teen pregnancy

- There are factors that can decrease the rates of teen pregnancy amongst Latinas.

- There are Latin cultural influences on teen pregnancy such as religion and gendered expectations and discussions.

- The more established you are as an American and higher the economic class you are, the lower the rates of teen pregnancy.

- Lack of resources is a large reason for poor views on teen pregnancy from both the individual and society.

- The more discussion there is between individual families and society, the better off everyone is.

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According to the CDC, (Centers For Disease Control) the birth rates for teen pregnancy were highest in the south in the U.S. 

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According to the CDC, Hispanic teens have the second highest rates of teen pregnancy. Here is a link to a website showing the racial trends in teen pregnancy, and the rate at which teen pregnancy has declined for each. https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/reproductive-health-and-teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-and-childbearing/trends/index.html

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“The significance of race and gender stereotypes about Latinas in sex education was particularly evidenced by the ways information about Depo-Provera was provided to girls.”

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Heteronormativity, Sexism, and Racism in Sexual Miseducation

In this article it was found that girls were taught that they are the opposite of boys and are only allowed to be sexually attracted to them. This sets a pretense of their interactions in the future. In the research conducted, 40 teenage Latinas were interviewed on the sex education they have received. 17 of the sample were only taught abstinence-only sex education, and 23 had more in depth sex education. When in sex ed. girls were reprimanded for interacting with the content in class were as boys were given a slap on the wrist. Additionally, educators would provide information about safe sex to young women and then turn around and say that they do not need to know that information if they want to be “respectable.” Some Latin teens were made to feel like teen pregnancy was a part of Latin culture. 

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Latina Teen Pregnancy Attitudes and Cultural Impact

In this study, pregnant Mexican teens were interviewed during their pregnancy and a year later. It was found that those who were equally cultured as American and Mexican generally had more positive attitudes towards their pregnancy. It was also discovered that the less support one has along with lower income generally meant the lower intention of pregnancy, and negative attitudes towards such. Also, the stronger the ties one had towards Mexican culture, the more negative attitudes there were to teen pregnancy, as well as fewer family resources, and lower educational expectations there were of the mothers. 

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Latino Perspectives and Experiences of Teen Pregnancy

Latin American teens were interviewed. These interviews included questions about sexuality, reproductive health, and culture pertaining to both. The findings of the study found that there were seven key concepts to preventing teen pregnancy. These concepts included sexual expectations of teens, how teens learn about sex and pregnancy, social class, peers, family communications patterns about sex and pregnancy, religion, and protective factors. This study found that gender impacts how teens view sex and pregnancy: boys were not responsible for any consequences of sex, and girls were expected to remain pure until marriage. Many teens view sex as a form of affection. In most families of those interviewed, sex and pregnancy were hardly discussed. Those within lower classes held a higher value of early pregnancy. Most adolescence saw that there friends were having sex at an early age, which normalized such. Abstinence and lack of contraceptives within Latin families was largely due to religion and prohibition of such. Many teens felt the need to abstain from premarital sex due to their privilege of being in the US and being given more opportunity to do better for themselves.

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Relationship Between Socioeconomic status and Latin teen pregnancy.

There have been several studies done on teen pregnancy within the Latinx community. One study was in regards to the relationship between socioeconomic status and Latin teen pregnancy. The study found that pregnant Latina teens struggled with educational and career opportunities. In addition to that, the study found that limited socioeconomic resources can result in higher rates in teen pregnancy. It also found links between teen pregnancies, socioeconomic status, and poverty. From the findings in this article, it can be concluded that the more Americanized one becomes and the higher the economic status of one, the lower the rates of teen pregnancy.

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“Due to their relatively early age of sexual initiation, they are potentially exposed to negative consequences of sexual activity for a longer time than are teens who initiate sex at a later age. Moreover, younger teens are less equipped developmentally and emotionally to make and act on protective and healthy decisions related to their sexual lives.”

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Adolescent Latino Reproductive Health

This article discusses the reproductive health practices and stats within each category of reproductive health for Latinos. In regards to teen pregnancy, it found that teens who have sex at younger ages put themselves at higher risks for longer amounts of time for STIs and teen pregnancy.

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“Focusing on individual health promotion strategies, such as acceptance of long-acting provider-controlled contraception, cannot possibly account for the racial and economic inequalities that contribute to high rates of unintended pregnancies among low-income women of color.”

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Youth Sexual Health Promotion as a Gendered Racial Project

In this reading we see how important it is to talk about what makes individuals different. When it comes to reproductive health, it is not the same for everyone. Everyone has their own ethics and their own belief system that they follow. It is important to take that into consideration when attempting to address a large social issue. In order to decrease high rates of teen pregnancy, we must talk about race and gender. Those significantly impact how individuals see the world and what they will do in regards to their own reproductive health. It all starts with discussion.

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Citations

Aparicio, E., Vanidestine, T., Zhou, K., & Pecukonis, E. 2016. Teenage pregnancy in Latino communities: Young adult experiences and perspectives of sociocultural factors. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 97(1), 50-57.

Barcelos, C. 2018. Culture, Contraception, and Colorblindess: Youth Sexual Health Promotion as a Gendered Racial Project. Gender & Society, 32(2), 252-273.

Driscoll, Anne K., Biggs, M. Antonia, Brindis, Claire D., & Yankah, Ekua. 2001. Adolescent Latino Reproductive Health: A Review of the Literature. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 23(3), 255-326

García, L. 2009. “Now Why do you Want to Know about That?”: Heteronormativity, Sexism, and Racism in the Sexual (Mis)education of Latina Youth. Gender & Society, 23(4), 520-541.

Killoren, S., Zeiders, E., Updegraff, K., & Umaña-Taylor, H. 2016. The Sociocultural Context of Mexican-Origin Pregnant Adolescents’ Attitudes Toward Teen Pregnancy and Links to Future Outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(5), 887-899.

Minnis, A., Marchi, K., Ralph, L., Biggs, M., Combellick, S., Arons, A., . . . Braveman, P. 2013. Limited socioeconomic opportunities and Latina teen childbearing: A qualitative study of family and structural factors affecting future expectations. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 15(2), 334-340.