Teenagers Choose Motherhood

[Drusilla1S]

The latest research shows that teenagers from deprived areas are not ignorant about contraception, they just believe low paid, dead end jobs are a less satisfactory way of living to bringing up a child.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5186614.stm

With the massive decline in the well paid, manual labour jobs formerly the preserve of the working class (Excuse the terminology, but you know what I mean), how can we encourage youngsters of limited educational ability to strive for wider life experiences?

Is a life on benefits for these youngsters the price we pay in our capitalist economy for outsourcing?

[Champagne]

Great question Drusilla.

The problem is that most 16-19 year olds in full-time employment don't take their jobs, or life, too seriously. They want to earn money to have fun at the weekends. They don't think about their future at that age. And of course when the going gets tough the quick-fix solution is always the most enticing. I remember earning a pittance at that age and wondering why I didn't just give up and live off the government myself. I'm glad in hindsight that I didn't, but the thought did enter my head when I was struggling with finances. After all, if you have a kid then you get a free house. I'm 33 and I STILL haven't managed to get myself on the property ladder!

[noxlumos]

I think our obsession with silly bits of paper that show we have reached a prescribed standard that then defines us for life is to blame.I appreciate the need for qualifications to some extent for some jobs, but employers requirements for them have been now taken to extremes so that youngsters who don't have them ( for whatever reason) are viryually doomed to end up on the scrap heap.For example my son whose 15 went to a pub for a job at weekends as a glass collector and was told that they needed to see his CV first. I mean a CV to collect glasses in a weekend cash in hand job? Come on, now what the hell is that all about?Is a GCSE in physics going to make him more able to pick up dirty glasses then? He's 15 and has taken no exams yet and thought the whole thing was amusing, but if he'd been 17 and for whatever reason had had no qualificaitons or indeed much else to put on a CV and been living away from home, how would that have affected him?It's easy to see how a few experiences like that could bring a kid down and make them think well stuff it I'll sign on and idle my life away.
Whenever I employ anyone the last thing I want from them is a CV ( people always lie anyway), I want to see who that person is in an interview and find out who they are and where they are, why they are there and where they want to go. I don't care if they have a degree, if they are only washing cars they are no more qualified for it than someone who has nothing to their name. A bit of common sense is all that's needed.

[Dolly1308]

This has solved a question to which I wanted an answer. I asked myself and others how on earth in this day and age do young (and I do mean young ) people get pregnant (no obvious /stupid answers please) .With the wealth of information available and the means to prevent a pregnancy e.g. condoms ,contraceptive pill etc. how do they get pregnant ? It's now obvious they don't want to work for a living and would rather bludge off the State with all it's free handouts . Now for the rants from all the do-gooders who have helped to make such a mess of the UK .

[Booldawg]

national service with ongoing education and career training from 13-16. Then a more relaxed 'college' style education with employment placement several days a week to gear them up to full time employment from 17-18. Apprenticeship with an employer from 18-21. Who'd do all the rubbish jobs no-one wants? Anyone who slips through the net and falls out of either the college or apprenticeship system. And of course, people who have emigrated to this country without having taken part in the system from the age of 13 or hold any professional qualifications. Of course they will be elligible to work towards gaining an apprenticeship via their own funding.

[LeMarchand]

The trouble is, that they then don't bother to do the "job" they are getting paid for...

[ENGINEER1973]

Cant feed them dont breed them!