NCJ Number
180793
Date Published
1999
Length
52 pages
Annotation
Adolescent sexual behavior, pregnancy, and opportunity among white teenagers in a depressed industrial area of Philadelphia were studied using data from interviews conducted in 1993 and 1994 with white youths ages 14-19 years.
Abstract
The research focused on the influence of local peer groups in considering why youth in the Milton area of Philadelphia seemed to become disconnected from educational institutions as they became older. Findings suggested that teen sexuality assumed a central role in the youths' search for status and respect in the absence of, or sometimes competing with, activities available through school programs or employment experiences. The peer culture reflected sex roles rooted in traditional working-class and Catholic culture; neighborhood norms influenced sexual behavior, pregnancy, and parenthood. In addition, youth often described their relationships with adults in terms of their difficulties with parents and unstable home lives. Moreover, the depressed and unsafe neighborhood conditions that resulted from declining employment and an increasing drug trade affected young people's dreams and their perceptions of career and marriage opportunities. Finally, young women who had educational and career aspirations often had difficulty dealing with the issue of sexuality in this culture. Overall, findings indicated that sexual activity, pregnancy, and young parenthood took the place of or sometimes competed with educational or career opportunities pursued by youth in other communities. Notes and 20 references