Ethnicity, policy and teenage parenthood in England: Findings from a qualitative study

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Mathers, N.
  • Kirkham, M.
  • Owen, J.M.
  • Marsh, P.
  • Higginbottom, G.M.A.

• Ethnicity and racialised identity have been salient themes in USA research and policy on teenage parenthood, in contrast with the UK context. This article presents findings from interviews with professionals in support services for young parents, with three main conclusions. Firstly, appropriate data collection systems are not in place to establish whether minority young parents face specific barriers in accessing services. Secondly, professionals’ accounts converge with young parents’ accounts, emphasising age rather than ethnicity as shaping patterns of identification and stigmatisation. Lastly, professional ‘ecologies of practice’ exist in some tension with the homogenising emphasis of UK national policy discourses.

• Date created

  2008

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Ethnicity
  • Teenage parents
  • Policy
  • United Kingdom, England

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3W950R0S

• License

  © 2008 Cambridge University Press. This version of this article is open access and can be downloaded and shared. The original author(s) and source must be cited.