Teenage pregnancy: on the road to social death

This paper describes research into perceptions of teenage pregnancy at two different demographical locations in the UK. Ninety-five semi-structured interviews were conducted on a teenage pregnant population and a non-pregnant teenage population. Thematic analysis revealed three levels of influence causing social pressures on the teenage pregnancy and were structured as primary, secondary and subordinate depending on the emphasis within the discourse analysis. From this binary oppositions were identified which formed the theoretical constructs relating to the transition from one state to another which can be termed ‘becoming’. When these states are negatively perceived they cause a form of impending doom and create social exclusion for the recipient. Finally, it was revealed that they succumb to the weight of social sanction and feel the prophecy of a ‘social death’