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It's not teenage mums working the system, but frightened politicians It's not teenage mums working the system, but frightened politicians
(2 months later)
Who's afraid of the gymslip mum? Tory MPs with fragile majorities are. These poor vote-deficient objects have been out on the doorsteps of their constituencies, and what they've been told is that, if they want to keep their seats, they have to clamp down on the dread menace of up-the-duff teenagers.Who's afraid of the gymslip mum? Tory MPs with fragile majorities are. These poor vote-deficient objects have been out on the doorsteps of their constituencies, and what they've been told is that, if they want to keep their seats, they have to clamp down on the dread menace of up-the-duff teenagers.
The 40 Group – a coalition of the most vulnerable Conservatives – has put together a set of policy proposals to save their own skins, the most attention-grabbing of which is that "all benefits to teenage mothers should be made on the condition of them living with their parents or in supervised hostel accommodation".The 40 Group – a coalition of the most vulnerable Conservatives – has put together a set of policy proposals to save their own skins, the most attention-grabbing of which is that "all benefits to teenage mothers should be made on the condition of them living with their parents or in supervised hostel accommodation".
This isn't because getting impregnated before the age of majority is some kind of golden ticket to welfare bliss. The only reason you'd believe that would be if you'd been listening to rightwing pundits: in practice, teenage parents are already entitled to little enough in their own right.This isn't because getting impregnated before the age of majority is some kind of golden ticket to welfare bliss. The only reason you'd believe that would be if you'd been listening to rightwing pundits: in practice, teenage parents are already entitled to little enough in their own right.
Try this benefit finder for teenagers from single-parent charity Gingerbread if you don't believe me: click through the flowchart how you will, you're not going to find the Marxist jackpot that Melanie Phillips insists exists. If you're under 16 and you live with your parents, housing benefit goes to your parents. If you're in care, you stay in the care of the local authority. Getting pregnant doesn't propel you into a glorious new life of freebies.Try this benefit finder for teenagers from single-parent charity Gingerbread if you don't believe me: click through the flowchart how you will, you're not going to find the Marxist jackpot that Melanie Phillips insists exists. If you're under 16 and you live with your parents, housing benefit goes to your parents. If you're in care, you stay in the care of the local authority. Getting pregnant doesn't propel you into a glorious new life of freebies.
What it does do is dramatically curtail your prospects of completing your education, and the younger you are, the harder it hits you. I had my first child while I was at university and even with a supportive partner, parental help and very patient lecturers, graduating was a preposterously narrow accomplishment – collecting my degree, I had a feeling of incredulity, as if I'd just watched a steam train jump a canyon.What it does do is dramatically curtail your prospects of completing your education, and the younger you are, the harder it hits you. I had my first child while I was at university and even with a supportive partner, parental help and very patient lecturers, graduating was a preposterously narrow accomplishment – collecting my degree, I had a feeling of incredulity, as if I'd just watched a steam train jump a canyon.
How much harder to make it through if you haven't even got your GCSEs yet? It's not just the practicalities of bringing up a kid when the rest of your class is barely able to get themselves up in the morning – it's also the perpetual, self-satisfied scorn that gets thrown at young mothers. If you've got a bump and a young-looking face, it's amazing how many people think it's OK to inspect your fingers for a wedding ring or pointedly ask where the dad is while you're struggling with shopping bags. (He was in a lecture, thanks. And you could have offered to carry the milk if you were so concerned!)How much harder to make it through if you haven't even got your GCSEs yet? It's not just the practicalities of bringing up a kid when the rest of your class is barely able to get themselves up in the morning – it's also the perpetual, self-satisfied scorn that gets thrown at young mothers. If you've got a bump and a young-looking face, it's amazing how many people think it's OK to inspect your fingers for a wedding ring or pointedly ask where the dad is while you're struggling with shopping bags. (He was in a lecture, thanks. And you could have offered to carry the milk if you were so concerned!)
The last round of conception figures for England and Wales show that the rate of teenage pregnancy is the lowest since records began. Only 0.6% of under 16s get pregnant every year. And figures from the Family Planning Association show that, when they do, they're very likely to opt for abortion. Nearly half of pregnant under-18s chose a termination in 2008; for under-16s, it was over 60%.The last round of conception figures for England and Wales show that the rate of teenage pregnancy is the lowest since records began. Only 0.6% of under 16s get pregnant every year. And figures from the Family Planning Association show that, when they do, they're very likely to opt for abortion. Nearly half of pregnant under-18s chose a termination in 2008; for under-16s, it was over 60%.
Yet respondents to a YouGov poll estimated that 15% of teenage girls get pregnant. That would put a teenage mum, implausibly, in almost every class. We don't have nearly so much of a problem with teenage pregnancy as we do with perceptions of teenage pregnancy.Yet respondents to a YouGov poll estimated that 15% of teenage girls get pregnant. That would put a teenage mum, implausibly, in almost every class. We don't have nearly so much of a problem with teenage pregnancy as we do with perceptions of teenage pregnancy.
How typical and ass-backwards that the response of desperate Conservatives isn't to educate the ignorant, but to reaffirm those fears and punish women who are already being punished pretty hard for simply existing and having a baby. It isn't teenage mums who are working the system: it's frightened politicians, who know that an easy route to getting a house on the public purse is to pick on vulnerable and voteless young women.How typical and ass-backwards that the response of desperate Conservatives isn't to educate the ignorant, but to reaffirm those fears and punish women who are already being punished pretty hard for simply existing and having a baby. It isn't teenage mums who are working the system: it's frightened politicians, who know that an easy route to getting a house on the public purse is to pick on vulnerable and voteless young women.
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