Image: Warren Ouyang
MTV’s 16 and Pregnant is about to begin a new series, last year BBC 3 aired a 3rd series of Underage and Pregnant, the sight of a stretched school jumper concealing a swollen belly greets us at every channel hop. You could be forgiven for thinking the watchword for this generation of teenagers was ‘fecund’.
Not so, whilst we are in the midst of a baby boom, according to statistics it is older women, in their 30s and 40s who are swelling the pregnant ranks. The Office of National Statistics released figures that showed conceptions had fallen in under-18s to 34,633 in 2010. In 2009 the number of conceptions was 38,259, a reduction of 9.5% Under-16s also show a drop in conceptions, falling from 7,158 to 6,674.
Not so, whilst we are in the midst of a baby boom, according to statistics it is older women, in their 30s and 40s who are swelling the pregnant ranks. The Office of National Statistics released figures that showed conceptions had fallen in under-18s to 34,633 in 2010. In 2009 the number of conceptions was 38,259, a reduction of 9.5% Under-16s also show a drop in conceptions, falling from 7,158 to 6,674.
Amongst those applauding the decline in teen pregnancies was Julie Bentley, chief executive of FPA who said:
“The fact that we're seeing the lowest teenage pregnancy figures in England and Wales for over 40 years is because of the dedicated work of professionals in relationship and sex education, contraception and local services. We must do all we can to keep the momentum going.”
As we have been agonizing over the age of consent, sex education the sexualisation of young girls those older women have been putting it about like there’s no tomorrow.
The rate of 40-somethings conceiving has more than doubled over the last 2 decades. We haven’t seen such flagrant defiance of age since Madonna took to the Super Bowl stage.
The biggest enabler, according to radio 4 Today programme interviewee Cari Rosen is hair dye: “Hair dye blurs the gap at the school gates.” That hair dye better be of a teenage Manic Panic hue because apparently women in their 20s are flat lining, pregnancy-wise and won’t be joining parents of too young or too old ages at the school gates. Naw, those 20-somethings are off educating themselves, or scrabbling for a career in these extremely tough times like selfish harpies.
In spite of the dip in teen pregnancies the UK is still leading Europe in underage pregnancies. Whilst this could be interpreted as teenage girls still not having total control over their own bodies or access to contraception and proper sex education, it’s interesting to witness older women take control of their uteruses, like they were their own business or something.
As Nadine Dorries et al chip away at reproductive rights, in the wake of these statistics it will be curious to see what Labour’s Diane Abbott’s prediction: “The danger is that this government will cause the fragmentation of sexual health services” comes to, just as evidence was emerging that these services are beginning to work…
Kate
“The fact that we're seeing the lowest teenage pregnancy figures in England and Wales for over 40 years is because of the dedicated work of professionals in relationship and sex education, contraception and local services. We must do all we can to keep the momentum going.”
As we have been agonizing over the age of consent, sex education the sexualisation of young girls those older women have been putting it about like there’s no tomorrow.
The rate of 40-somethings conceiving has more than doubled over the last 2 decades. We haven’t seen such flagrant defiance of age since Madonna took to the Super Bowl stage.
The biggest enabler, according to radio 4 Today programme interviewee Cari Rosen is hair dye: “Hair dye blurs the gap at the school gates.” That hair dye better be of a teenage Manic Panic hue because apparently women in their 20s are flat lining, pregnancy-wise and won’t be joining parents of too young or too old ages at the school gates. Naw, those 20-somethings are off educating themselves, or scrabbling for a career in these extremely tough times like selfish harpies.
In spite of the dip in teen pregnancies the UK is still leading Europe in underage pregnancies. Whilst this could be interpreted as teenage girls still not having total control over their own bodies or access to contraception and proper sex education, it’s interesting to witness older women take control of their uteruses, like they were their own business or something.
As Nadine Dorries et al chip away at reproductive rights, in the wake of these statistics it will be curious to see what Labour’s Diane Abbott’s prediction: “The danger is that this government will cause the fragmentation of sexual health services” comes to, just as evidence was emerging that these services are beginning to work…
Kate
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