With teenage pregnancies at their lowest rate for more than 40 years, a North-East academic is challenging the popular stereotype of the teenage mother. Health Editor Barry Nelson reports

NORTH-EAST academic Dr Lisa Arai thinks it is time to think about the “problem” of teenage pregnancy in a new way. Pregnancy – at an age when the most important thing on their minds would normally be school homework or college exams – is usually perceived as a disaster for the young women concerned and an increased burden on society.

But Dr Arai argues that the reality is actually quite different and not something we should be unduly worried about.

Instead, she says we should be more concerned about the wider issue of social exclusion and lack of opportunities for some young people.

Dr Arai, a senior lecturer in research methods at Teesside University’s School of Health and Social Care, says that far from being “prophets of doom” as teenage mothers are often depicted, the majority of teenage mothers enjoy motherhood and their lives do not change drastically as a result of having a baby.

New data has shown that the teenage pregnancy rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1969. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show conceptions in under-18s fell to 34,633 in 2010 compared with 38,259 in 2009, a drop of 9.5 per cent.

Pregnancies in under-16s also went down by 6.8 per cent to 6,674 in total, from 7,158 the previous year.

Here in the North-East, the number of conceptions by women under 16 fell from 455 in 2009 to 417 in 2010.

The number of conceptions by women under 18 also fell, with 408 in 2009 and 384 in 2010.

Only Teesdale and Easington recorded slight rises in this period.

In North Yorkshire, the latest set of figures show a fall in conceptions in under-18s of more than 20 per cent between 2009 and 2010, compared with a fall of 7.3 per cent nationally.

Dr Arai, who has published a book Teenage Pregnancy: The Making and Unmaking of a Problem, believes that more needs to be done to challenge the stereotype of teenage mothers.

But old attitudes remain entrenched. A recent report about child poverty presented to Darlington Borough Council concluded that one of the main issues facing children in poverty in the town was teenage pregnancy, along with a lower life expectancy and obesity.

Councillor Bill Dixon, leader of Darlington Borough Council, told his fellow councillors: “Young people and children growing up in poverty can experience limited opportunities and face a range of challenges.”

As part of her efforts to promote a more constructive view of teenage pregnancy, Dr Arai recently appeared on BBC Radio 4 in a programme titled The Teenage Pregnancy Myth.

The programme featured leading social scientists who argued that public policy has ignored evidence which shows that, far from shattered lives and blighted futures, teenage mothers and their children can and do lead happy, healthy lives.

DR ARAI says: “Overall, the teenage fertility rate has been steadily falling since the 1970s and, contrary to popular belief, we just don’t have a teenage pregnancy crisis in this country. The media depiction of an epidemic of teenage motherhood is not justified.

“The teenage mother is portrayed as a prophet of doom who symbolises everything that is wrong within our society. But one thing that strikes me when I have interviewed teenage mothers is how happy they are and how much they enjoy motherhood. Their lives are actually affected very little by having a baby and they see motherhood as a happy and rewarding experience.”

Dr Arai suggests that Government policy has always been anti-teenage pregnancy and she believes that evidence is often “cherry-picked” to suit the agenda.

“Teenage motherhood is perceived to be expensive to the state,” says Dr Arai. “It is suggested that teenagers are less likely to work and pay taxes if they have children. But in fact, the issue of teenage pregnancy is linked far more to social exclusion. Teenagers from socially deprived backgrounds are less likely to work and pay taxes anyway, and having a baby does not change that very much or alter the trajectory of their lives.

“Working class teenagers’ lives are much more affected by education and opportunity. If women feel there are opportunities available to them, they will stay in education and work hard. The age of the mother is not that significant.”

Dr Arai believes that, despite a steady fall in the teenage fertility rate since the 1970s, and conception being at its lowest since 1969, there is still a lot of misinformation and misguided opinion on teenage pregnancy.

SHE adds: “If I stop and ask people in the street what percentage of young people fall pregnant under the age of 20, the majority of people guess about 50 per cent when in fact it is more like five or six per cent. We don’t have a teenage pregnancy epidemic and the numbers are actually very small.

“The challenge is in changing the stereotype of teenage mothers and making people realise that teenage pregnancy is not a burden on society and not a huge problem in this country, and that motherhood can be enjoyed regardless of maternal age.”