‘You can still have dreams for your child’: Filipino young people’s lived experiences of parenthood

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore Filipino young people’s lived experiences of parenthood. We employed narrative analysis of 27 photo elicitation and semi-structured interviews with 10 Filipino adolescent mothers (aged 15–19) and five young fathers (aged 18–24). We found that young parents developed constructions of ‘good’ mothers and fathers, invoking discourses of responsibility, sacrifice, and ‘intergenerational repair’ as they transitioned into their new ‘adult’ roles. Learning to deal with judgement and criticism was an inescapable part of navigating the realities of parenthood. However, they pushed back against these through discourses of redemption and aligning themselves with their constructions of good parents. Through discourses of ‘making it work’, young parents managed evolving relationships amid challenging circumstances. In looking to the future, they employed discourses of restoration, transformation, and hope, discovering joy and a sense of purpose in fulfilling their adult roles while remaining cognisant of their youth. Programmes and policies aimed at helping young Filipino parents achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes would benefit from considering their circumstances and responding to their specific needs for non-judgmental youth-friendly healthcare, unimpeded access to sexual and reproductive health resources, and supportive home, school, and community environments.

KEYWORDS:

• Parenthood
• adolescents
• young people
• lived experience
• Philippines

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to our partner NGO for their support with recruitment and logistics during data collection, and to the study participants who shared their views and experiences with us. We are also deeply grateful to the late Associate Professor Jesusa Marco, for her local supervision, mentorship, and friendship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Alternative Learning System (ALS) is a free education programme for Filipinos who cannot complete their basic education through the formal system.

Additional information

Funding

This study is part of CMH’s doctoral research project funded by the Nossal Global Health Scholars Programme of the Nossal Institute of Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. Partial funding for qualitative data collection was also provided by the Population Health Investing in Research Students’ Training grant of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, and the Riady Scholarship of the University of Melbourne.