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Young mums matter
YWCA is campaigning for and with young mums aged 18 and under because research and our work with young mums has shown the damage that harsh words and ignorance can do to lives that are already tough enough.
Young mums get a bad press
Policy makers, newspapers, radio and TV often show teenage pregnancy and young mums as a problem, citing 'an epidemic' of teenage mums who are often seen as ignorant, irresponsible, or incapable of being good parents. Research shows how these untrue stereotypes have a profound effect on how young mums are treated by the public and by some of the people who work in services designed to support them.
Becoming a young mum should not automatically be seen as a problem. Teenage pregnancy is a complex issue often linked to poverty, low educational achievement and low self-esteem.
We believe it is important to recognise that some young women make a positive choice to become pregnant and have a child, and that many find pregnancy and motherhood as rewarding an experience as older mothers do.
What is the real problem?
Rather than pregnancy and motherhood, it is often the ongoing social exclusion and poverty experienced by young mums which make young motherhood 'problematic'. Research shows that teenage mums are more likely than their peers to live in poverty - and to stay there because of lack of access to education, childcare and support services.
Young mums need RESPECT
Whatever the factors behind a young woman's pregnancy and her choice to have a child, YWCA believes that young mums should be supported to maximise their choices and life chances and those of their children.
Despite the barriers and disadvantages they face, young mums can create happy and successful families.
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young mums