Teenage Pregnancy, Essay Example

Introduction

This content analysis embodies an evaluation of teen pregnancy as it relates to how the Australia media interprets this phenomenon. Teen or teenage pregnancy is considered a social problem in societies that require teens confirming to a specific social code of late pregnancies. Precisely, a social problem is also classified social issue and it is a situation that influenctial people in society consider undesirable (Ashley & Orenstein, 2005).The analysis will examine the tone of content communicated and whether the reporters’ perspectives were positive or negative in their language.

They include:

• Town says farewell to pregnant teen
• Teenage pregnancy deaths … a global scandal
• Teen pregnancy has reached a crisis in Australia
• Supportive information communicated by Rachel Browne (2010) reporting teenage pregnancy is on the rise in Australia
• Bernard Salt (2013) reporting facts regarding teenage pregnancy in Australia.
• ABS world news report, ‘fewer Australian women below age 20 are giving birth, while more mothers over 40 are having babies.’
• Many teens plan their pregnancies choosing not to use contraceptives.
• Political view point ‘Teen pregnancy ‘our greatest danger.’

The argument here is that the media seems to be placing a negative perception on teen/teenage pregnancy when it is not such a huge social problem. Modern societies have so defined it

Content Analysis of Eight News Sources

My first content analysis is made of a West Australia newspaper article. The caption headline reads, Town says farewell to pregnant teen (Vanderende, 2014, p.1). This story coverage is accompanied by a photograph on a video highlighting the words,’ tears for Sonia and unborn baby’ with a male hugging a female teen. Reporters related the tragedy as explained by the teen’s mother who said that the teen was happiest when told about the pregnancy. However, the sad ending came when she encountered a car accident where both teen and her 31 wks old fetus lost their lives. West Australia news reported that Sonia’s mom hopes that teenagers would be more careful driving on the street of Australia (Vanderende, 2014).

Specifically, the language in which teenage pregnancy was communicated here did not suggest any negativity, but mentioning teen mother seemed deliberate in highlighting the phenomenon of teen pregnancy when it really had nothing to do with the accident. In my opinion the issue of teen pregnancy was irrelevant in reporting death resulting from an accident (Vanderende, 2014).

Further, Australian News reports that teenage pregnancy deaths are a global scandal. The media was ascribing its coverage to British Charity save the children declaration, which stated that 50,000 teenagers die due to pregnancy complications internationally. The media focus was then translated into British Charity moving to a summit encouraging family planning. World leaders were expected to gather for this summit to engage relevant solutions to this global propaganda. The language here communicated empathy for creating a negative perspective of teen pregnancy (AAP, 2012).

Thirdly, the telegraphy news reporting from Sydney Australia declares that teen pregnancy has reached a crisis. This report captures a study on Australian teenage pregnancy rates, which revealed the extent of youth pregnancies, as it relates to academics; accusing the Federal Government for inadequate sex education in schools.  This survey according to the news caption was conducted at La Trobe University. While researchers concluded that statistics pertaining to teenage pregnancy on the campus were not quite authentic there were evidences that it has escalated to a crisis level. Here again we can cite media propaganda in creating a negative point of view about teen pregnancy.. Without validating the information they have made a crisis assumption in describing the phenomenon (Master, 2006).

More importantly, in explaining features of the reported crisis researchers discovered that 35% of students were sexually active.  Just 6% of these encounters resulted in pregnancies. Essentially, a decline in condom use was reported, which the media and analyst attributed to inadequate sex education on University campuses.  However, STD’s status of students on this campus was not reported in the study (Master, 2006). This language did communicate a negative concept of teen pregnancy.

Supportive information communicated by Rachel Browne (2010) reporting in the age news revealed that teenage pregnancy was on the rise in Australia. The national fertility rate was reported to have risen by more than 8% . In validating these assumption references were made to Dr Patricia Weerakoon, coordinator of the University of Sydney’s graduate program in sexual health. The analysts said that teenagers were becoming sexually active at an earlier age. Socially, this was interpreted by media and Dr. Weerakoon as putting them at risk for both teenage pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases (Browne, 2010). Again a negative connotation of teen pregnancy communicated in language and invalid assumptions.

Further comparisons were made, which revealed that inspite of this apparent the increase in ‘Australia’s teenage fertility at a significant rate of 17 per 1000 teens; this is much  lower than United States of America, which is 51 per 1000; Great Britain 27 per 1000; and New Zealand, 26 per 1000’ ( Browne, 2010, p.1). However, when compared to other European countries this is rate is very much higher. For example, Germany has a 10 per 1,000 rating; France 8 per 1,000 and Netherlands 4 per 1,000. The inference based on this data is that, perhaps, culture plays a very important role in whether teens become pregnant.The reporter then switched to a more positive perspective as it pertained to teen pregnancy in Australia, but the negative  language view point  of it being on the rise is sustained(Browne, 2010).

Bernard Salt (2013) reporting in the Australian, offered facts regarding teenage pregnancy in Australia. The reporter revealed quoting 2011 census findings that 5222 Australians between the ages of 15 to 19 were in a traditional marriage relationship introducing a new concept pertaining to this phenomenon and sharing a more positive view point in the language used to communicate ideas. This development was in contrast to occurrences in the past 20 -40years where many Australians married between ages 21-28 years old. Significantly, it was further revealed that 220 females and 199 males were married at age 15 years old (Salt, 2013).

Salt continued to explain that Australian males were more likely to get married at an early age than females even though the figures suggest a different picture. Importantly, this trend is evident among the indigenous people who have upheld traditions living as a subculture among the wider Australian society. As such, teenage pregnancy is not classified a dysfunction, but a way of life for indigenous Australians (Salt, 2013).

However, an ABS world news report contrasting popular rumors that teenage pregnancy is on the increase in Australia shared a different picture utilizing positive language in explaining its reality.  A precise caption was, ‘fewer Australian women below age 20 are giving birth, while more mothers over 40 are having babies’ (ABS, 2013, p.1). The report did not mention the gravida of these over 40 age group mothers because this would have made a great difference in this content analysis.The tone and language in which this report communicated these facts could be considered a bold interpretation when the media views teen pregnancy as a social dilemma (ABS, 2013).

Better health Newsletter (2014) has confirmed using more precise language to explain the phenomenon related to the public the truth about teen pregnancy in twenty-first century Australia. Precise language used in communicating the reality was that research shows where in Australia, just about a quarter of all year 10 students and half of all year 12 students engaged in sexual intercourse.  Further it was clarified that it has been communicated to the public through media sources that teen pregnancies were unplanned, but this is erroneous data, the newsletter clarified. The editor concluded that many teens plan their pregnancies choosing not to use contraceptives (Better Health Channel, 2014).

Finally, news reported by News.com au. of a politician’s emotional response to teen pregnancy is communicated in a language, which makes it appear that the worst encounter a teen could have is pregnancy since it is interpreted as creating social problem. The content specifically, conveys anxiety and propaganda when the reporter relates John Gillebaud, an academic and Liberal MP Mal Washer agreeing that, ‘Teen pregnancy ‘our greatest danger’ linking the phenomenon to drinking, population explosion and threat to mankind (National, 2008). This is not supported by any scientific data validating the assumptions.

Theoretical application (Symbolic interactionism)

Symbolic interactionism is theory embodying the assumption that the self-aspect of people have emerged from society. Essentially, these selves, who have been created, are purposive and evolutionary. Therefore, teenage pregnancy is a self that has been created which is purposive and evolutionary (Herman-Kinney & Reynolds, 2003).  Could it be that this is an evolution, which society refuses to accept and is being perpetuated in the media? Bernard Salt (2013) offered the reality of teen pregnancy, which could be related to the phenomenon globally. He showed where 5222 Australians between the ages of 15 to 19 were in a traditional marriage relationship (Salt, 2013).

Therefore, this teen/teenage pregnancy is a social construction, of an interest group, which refuses to accept teens’ ability to reason for themselves forcing their values upon teens  using media strategies to communicate their ideals. Further, there are five distinct ideas informing this theory. They consist of the facts people (people including teen agers) must be perceived as social beings; second they are thinking beings (Teenagers are included); third humans define their situation before relating to the environment (they change the environment to suit their situation); fourth, humans act in response to what they are experiencing in their particular situation and humans are actively involved in their environment as evolutionary social beings (Herman-Kinney & Reynolds, 2003).

Conclusion/Summary

Concepts that were very active in this new media content analysis were teen pregnancy/ teenage pregnancy. Negative language relationships to these two main concept were drinking; accidents; crises, danger, sex, complications of pregnancy; teen deaths; population explosion and threat to mankind. There were fewer positive language expressions describing the phenomenon. They included traditional marriage and planned pregnancies. Generally, the communicating language tone was harsh.

Symbolic interactionism was selected to explain this phenomenon. As such, teens are thinking social beings that have the ability to make choices relevant to their situation. The media passing judgments and communicating negative language erroneous information regarding the phenomenon will not change the ability of teens to make the decisions suitable to their situation.

References

AAP. (2012, August, 2). Teenage pregnancy deaths a global scandal. The Australian News, p.1

ABS. (2013, October, 29). Number of teenage mums drops while older motherhood on the rise, ABS says. ABS News, p.1

Better Health Channel (2014, January, 29).Teenage Pregnancy in Australia. Better Health Channel Newsletter.p.1.

Browne, R. (2010, August, 29). Teen pregnancies back on the rise. The Age, p.1

Herman-Kinney, J., & Reynolds, T. (2003). Handbook of Symbolic Interactionism. New York: AltaMira.

Master, C. (2006, December, 14).Teen Pregnancy Crisis. The telegraph News, p.1

National (2008).Teen pregnancy ‘our greatest danger. News.com.au

Salt, B. (2013, April, 11). Facts on teenage pregnancy give cause for pause. The Australian News, p.1

Vanderende, J. (2014, March,6). Town says farewell to pregnant teen. The West Australian, p. 1