MTV'S 16 AND PREGNANT

After browsing through different shows to decide what show I will write about, I came across MTV’S 16 and pregnant. I know it is a teenage show, and that most college students might not particularly watch it, but something about it caught my attention. In class we have talked about teenage girls always worrying about getting pregnant, and society always criticizing them for not following the standard rules of “waiting for the right age to bare a child.” Furthermore, in class we have talked about motherhood, and the role of a mother and father in a household. In addition, we have discussed controversial topics such as “working mothers” and why not “working fathers?” In this particular episode, Catelynn got pregnant from Tylor at age 16. They were juniors in high school, and were living in a household where parents were not supportive at all. Both Catelynn and Tylor knew that there was no way they could raise a child on their own, especially after Tylor’s dad being in jail, and Catelynn’s mother being a drug addict. So maturely enough, they both decided to give the babe in adoption, not an easy decision at all! They searched for an adoption agency and picked the parents they thought the child would have a better future with. The mother and father of both teenagers were completely against adoption, being that they thought, carrying a child for 9 months and then giving it away was a horrible decision.
It was really bad for Catelynn and Tylor to experience giving their child into adoption. They had to put themselves away from the situation and really think that the child will be better off with the adoptive parents. By doing a gender analysis of the show, I realized that gender norms are so well determined and imposed by society that even 16 year olds know how each gender should behave according to specific situations. Tylor thought of dropping out of school, getting a job, and supporting Catelynn who will take care of the babe at home, and eventually go back to school. We can clearly see that Tytlor is doing exactly what society dictates a man should do for his family, which is to work hard and be the breadwinner of the house. Catelynn, on the other hand, is also behaving according to her gender, which is following the ideology of staying home and taking care of her child. This is also an example of motherhood, which has been discussed in class, society tells women to “always sacrifice for their children,” most of the times this means letting go important dreams in life.
When the adoptive parents were chosen, there were different things that Catelynn and Tylor looked on them. They wanted the adoptive mother to stay home and take care of the babe, the adoptive father to be the provider of the house and to have all the responsibilities in term of finances, and finally they wanted them to both have a good financial situation. These two teenagers that had a baby at such a short age clearly want their child to have a good future. They are both clear on what the role of a mother or father is, or even the role of a woman or man. They are pretty old fashion, since they still believe that is better when the woman stays home and care for the children instead of going out to work. This was such a sad show, that I literally cried throughout the whole episode, it is so sad and so hard to give a child for adoption, but I also think it was the best decision made.