On Sun, Jul 31, 2022 at 05:31 PM, Steve Sundur wrote:
I asked, simply, "Why do you think so many black girls have babies while they are still teenagers, or in their very early twenties"
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Steve, if you look it up, you'll find the problem is not limited to "black girls."? Here is your answer pursuant to a 2015 article.? Notice, btw, no "men" are mentioned here.? Want to hazard a guess???
I don't think I ever implied the "problem" is limited to black girls.??
Since you are willing to discuss the topic, I will share my observations, although with some hesitation.? These are my observations. I don't claim them to be the final word.? I will say that I have had close relationships with both young black women that have worked for me, and black men, that have also worked with me.? And you might be surprised by the candid conversations that take place. You may say there is an implied power relationship because of that, but you would be mistaken.? If you wish to make an issue on those grounds, I would just dismiss it. The organizational chart at my business is basically flat, with a small bump in the middle. And plus, these conversations had nothing to do with business.
For some, I think the thought of graduating high school, without a plan for after high school, may cause them to get pregnant, as it provides them with something that constitutes?a next chapter for them. I think also, for many,?it is a?"rite of passage", that establishes their womanhood.
They do not expect their baby daddy to stick around, and in most cases they don't even want them around.? If the BD has a job, then yes, they will sue for child support. There is little trust among the BM towards their BD.? "Bitches" and "niggas", are the typical terms THEY USE when describing their relationships.
I think also that these women, or?girls may have been raised by single mothers, so they may not be comfortable or feel?awkward entering into a traditional male/female relationship.? It may also be, in some way, be a show of respect to their own mothers, with whom they continue to connect with.
The men feel little obligation to remain in the picture after about six months. They often lose interest, and there are other women with whom they want to make a connection.?
You may chalk this situation up to pure unadulterated racism, as evidently Sal does, but in my mind there are conscious, personal choices being made. Does racism come into play? I am sure it does, but I clearly see two forces at play.
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P.S. I have someone doing work for me. Someone from rural Missouri.? He has two children with two different women, one of whom he lives with.? He was not married to the first woman and?is not married to the women he lives with, and with whom he shares the child.? He tries to avoid childcare?as best he can.? He is white.
BTW, teen pregnancy rates are down across the board since then.?
But when you look at actual rates, they demonstrate a stark reality: Girls of color are much more likely to become pregnant.
Among non-Hispanic white teens, the birth rate in 2013 was 19 births per 1,000, while among black teens, it was 39 births per 1,000. Latina teens have the highest birth rate, at 42 births per 1,000 teens. The birth rate for Native American teens was 31 births per 1,000, while among Asian/Pacific Islander teens, the birth rate was 9 births per 1,000. ?
Poverty plays a big role in high teen birth rates, as does geography. Rural teens have higher rates of pregnancy than do urban and suburban teens. Southern states, which tend to be poorer and have the highest rates of HIV infections, also report the highest number of teen births. Education and access to contraceptives play a larger role in teen pregnancy rates than do cultural or religious differences, teen advocates suggest.
¡°When you look at these disparities, it has a lot more to do with a lack of opportunity than with the color of your skin,¡± Albert said.
Poor teens of color are less likely to have access to quality health care and contraceptive services, and are much more likely to live in neighborhoods where jobs and opportunities for advancement are scarce, according to Gail Wyatt, a clinical psychologist and sex researcher at UCLA.
¡°We¡¯re talking about income; we¡¯re talking about sub-par education ¡? with no education about sex and your body,¡± Wyatt said. ¡°This pretty much leaves these girls extremely vulnerable¡. It¡¯s simply an incompatible combination of circumstances that these girls are involved and captured in.¡±
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Em
