Morally problematic: young mothers' lives as parables about the dangers of sex

Abstract

Drawing on data from an ethnographic study examining the experiences of early-age mothers living in a remote city in northern British Columbia, Canada, we examine the perspectives of two study participants – one young mother and one service provider – who proposed that young mothers should visit high school classrooms to provide experiential narratives about the potential dangers of sex, particularly for young women. While many participants suggested that these peer-education presentations could be a positive experience for students as well as the young mothers/peer educators, the parables that their experiences represent reinforce social and physical distance between early-age mothers and mainstream society. Using a Foucauldian analysis, we demonstrate how these parables are more likely to demonize young women's sexualities and further alienate the young mothers from other teens.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the young women and service providers who participated in our study, and to acknowledge Research Assistants Shari Wallace, Megan Alley, and Wendy Davis.