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Teenage pregnancies, UK and Japan.
I understand that Japan has one of the lowest rates of teenage pregnancies in the world. Here in the UK it is high, and I was wondering, why this should be?
Some of the factors that could explain this, I have been trying to guess. 1. Is it looked upon as more shameful to be a young unmarried mother in Japan than in the UK? 2. Is it because of better contraception? 3. Financial reasons? In the UK, a single mother will get money given to her by the state and is given accomodation. The more children you have, the more money you get, and the more children you have, the bigger the house you will get. Does this happen in Japan? 4. General behavioural attitudes. I understand Japan has a very low crime rate compared with the UK, and there is more respect given to all sorts of aspects in life. Is this connected in any way? 5. Religion? I hope there is someone out there that will be able to answer my question. Thanks, Richard. |
1) Not sure
2) They have the same contraception as anywhere else 3) Pregnancy is low all around in Japan. There's no maternity leave 4) I doubt that 5) Definitely not. Very few Japanese are religious at all. I wish I knew the real answer. Teen pregnancy is high in America too. |
In my personal opinion the reason why people get pregnant here is because they don't care, they know they will get financial support, and they have no motivation or ambition in their lives. My friend had a child at 17, she dropped out of 6th form prior to that and her life had no direction. She lives comfortably on the money she gets, and although I understand bearing a child is no easy task, it's not as taxing as it once was especially in comparison to other jobs at the moment. I feel there is just no reason not to have a baby as a teenager anymore, if the reasons don't come from yourself.
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Teenage pregnancies are really high in the US too. Like MissMisa said is that teengers don't care. I am not quite sure why they are low in Japan probably like you said it has to do part of their society in having kids after marriage not before.
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The only way to stop teenage pregnancy is sex education for teenagers.
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It's an issue here to.
Although I have to disagree with you guys saying it has to do with " not caring". I think pregnancy among teens is more often in UK and US than Japan because it's not shunned so much. Think about it, which would you guys rather do? get pregnant and get a few dollars from the government and not get pregnant, go to school, get a real job and be able to have a comfortable amount of money to get whatever you want for yourself? These girls are not getting pregnant because they want a few dollars in their pockets. The responsibility and hard work of protecting and caring for an innocent life is not worth any amount of money. @Misa your friend sounds lazy but don't let her be your whole opinion of what happens to girls when they get pregnant young. I have an array of close friends who have children now and they still remained in school even after the birth, most of them are even in college now. Moral of the rant, most teen pregnancies don't end in the girl ruining her life. |
Advertise safe sex like on Degrassi. :o
I really hate seeing depressed pregnant teens walking around my school. It's annoying how they'd be so stupid as to get knocked up by a guy who jumps ship right after the pink band appears on the pee test . |
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I would hate that personally... But I can see that if the government just gives you all this money, then you wouldn't have to work for it, and you wouldn't be able to see why it would be challenging otherwise. Now, if pregnancy isn't scary anymore for teenagers, I would hate to see people stop caring about STDs. |
hmmm before we all look down at teenage pregnancy...
lets remember the BIGGEST threat the western civilisation is facing.... Namely...AGING population..... the gov. in the UK is very good.....it means that if you want to have a kid then money is not the first issue you think about.... how many kids have been aborted in other countries where this is not the case because would be mothers feel they wont be able to "afford" it.. Money is supposed to empower...not lead to the destruction of human life... unless Japan gets a MASSIVE population boost it will be a poverty stricken island in around 50years.... unable to field a sizable workforce or army...it will be left crippled and defensless.... so when you see a teenager with a baby....you should think "Thank you"... also i hear that the abortion rate in Japan is quite high.... from purely personal experience iv'e NEVER met a japanese person who knew the negative longterm effects of abortion on future health and FERTILITY...as well as future birth weight and foetal abnormalities... |
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In my junior high school year we took home this fake baby that would wake you up crying every 30 minutes or so for 2 nights. It was hell, and it made pregnancy one of the first thoughts in my mind when I slept with a girl, instead of an afterthought |
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Off-topic a bit there... In regards to the OP...it's all about how the society views such things as sex and pregnancy. Japanese people happen to have a "better view" than us on that particular topic. They care and actually understand the consequences dealing which teen pregnancies and how such a thing can potentially make your life miserable. |
Throughout time there are going to be baby booms. Japan is clearly not going through a baby boom, and it's hard to raise kids with the price of living. I think teens are smart enough to keep their pants on or using safer sex practices knowing how hard it is to raise a baby.
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Seriously, I cannot express the amount of times condoms and contraception and pregnancy and STD's have been drilled into our heads. It's everywhere, at school, even in town they always give out leaflets and free condoms everywhere. There is really no excuse nowadays - education is everywhere when you are a teenager, whether you like it or not.
I really think people know what they are doing, yet everyone blames it on education. If you are a teenager right now, particularly one at my age, we have so much education about sex all the time to the point you've heard it all 204757667 times. I do think it's because people are not particularly bothered about the consequences of having unprotected sex, and maybe a lot of teen pregnancies are fueled by teenage drinking too. If you have a baby now it's nowhere near as tough as previous years, you get free money and housing which would have been the first hurdle you'd have to deal with yourself if it was years ago. People who tend to have the children normally come from broken homes or those whose mothers have also had children young - they tend to have no direction to be going in so they think a kid will give them something to do or something to care about. Some teenage mothers go to college after having a kid, because they not only have to provide for themselves but for a kid too. But most just sit at home and do nothing in particular, and a lot of the time the male partner f**ks off, so it's not like they can do that without getting some form of income. And it's well known that the longer you are out of employment, the harder it is to get back in. Anyway, my friend told me how much she got in benefits and it basically pissed me off. I'm not entitled to anything, and I will be in 20,000 debt by the end of uni, because I'm trying to make a better life for myself. Having a kid used to be the hardest thing for someone to do, nowadays it just feels like the easy way out. |
Right, teenage pregnancy doesn't have just one factor. I also believe that underage drinking contributes to the problem. Kids get drunk, make bad decisions, and bam, they've got a future son or daughter.
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MissMisa, most of the things you've said are true, but there are hundreds of different situations. I don't believe that most teenage girls get pregnant because of all the benefits. Maybe the benefits persuade them to not get an abortion or to not give up the child after birth, but I'm pretty sure, most girls don't go out one evening planning to get pregnant so that they can get free housing and money!
It's true that Contraception is everywhere. Heck, the NHS walk in centres give you free condoms. But you know, these don't always work. This of course, is only a small percentage of teenage pregnancies, but none the less, it's still an important factor. Another thing, A LOT of girls can't take the pill, so the second barrier doesn't even exist. There is also the spur of the moment thing or peer pressure which equats to stupidity, which I believe is the most common reason for teenage pregnancies. Information might be everywhere, but it doesn't mean people take it in or believe it. I know a few school friends that had kids. None of them done it because of the benefits. Unfortunately however, I do believe there are some out there that wanna take advantage of the system. And the worst thing is, England has a system where it's in your best interest to be Rich or poor. If you're rich, you're rich, if you're poor, the government gives you everything, ff you're middle class, you get nothing! Hence why you feel the injustice in your friend getting all those benefits! |
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People make mistakes and I'd never look down my nose at someone who does, like I said, my best friend was 17 and it's just really weird to think because our lives ran on such a parallel until that happened and now I'm a godmother at 18... Condoms aren't 100% effective of course, and there are a LOT of different types of pill out there, so if you can't take one you could take another brand usually [that's what the doctor told me anyway] and even if you can't, it's only a small percentage of people, and even smaller than that for a condom breaking. So I don't think it's really down to that. Yeah exactly my point about the middle class thing, I think we get the worst deal. Rich people can afford everything anyway and poor get free money, and I'm penalised because of my parents jobs, arggh [ends rant here :p] |
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You'd be surprised about the Pill! It's far too common for women to not be able to take it because of side effects and general uncompatibility! As for the brand, though there might be a slight difference, it rarely solves the problem as the fundamentals of the pill are the same. Hahaa... That's the UK for ya!:mtongue: |
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and as usual you come up with a little dig without ANY evidence.. using the National Inteligence Commitee data (who have acces to ALL CIA FBI DEA etc. and several international sources of information) in about 15 years Japan is predicted to have a worker to AOP ratio of about 1/3 that means one old person getting pension for every 3 people of a working age.... once the ratio hits 1 old person to 4 young people you start getting into VERY deep economic problems...known in the UK as the pensions black hole... at 1/3 you are in full economic freefall...which has knock on effects... it starts with things like production, manufacturing and construction... then the service industries begin to suffer due to the knock on effect on the retail market... eventually you end up with a brain drain as all the smartest and youngest people go to other countries to seek thier fortune as there are no oppertunitys at home... this eventually leads to complete economic collapse...(as seen in EAST Germany) So unless you can quote a source more reliable than the most senior branch of Arse-erica's inteligence machine... kindly hush yourself. on the note of Japans millitary.... LOL..... they have not fought in a conflict for over 50 years.... hmm they have a few wshiny bits of kit...like a cool tank...but its NEVER been tested in ANY enviroment other than Japan...which is woodland... so they actually dont even know how it would perform in a desert.... as for china and Russia have backwards equipment... hmmm the russian main battle tank can take 2 seperate direct strikes with a MILAN and still be 100% fighting effective...it is the ONLY tank in the world that can do so. Russia (along with norway) has the best arctic comando`s in the world.. atack helicopters that can take multiple RPG strikes (the flying tank) oh and lets not forget article 1.47 built in the 70's...russias ultra top secret fighter bomber which was the MOST sophisticated war plane until the Eurofighter came along...and as the US does not have the Eurofighter...that backwards army has planes that can shoot anything you put up in the sky...out of the sky as for CHINA.... china has the largest hacker army in the world! also the most sophisticated in the world... i forget the exact figures but the DOD estimate that there are over 300 attacks on DOD systems alone PER DAY from china and that about half are sucessfull... also every year China mobilises 1million men and machines in its annual military exersize... china`s industrial power and size makes it the world super power... you can have all the fancy technology you want...but when faced with an enemy that can produce, ship, and FIRE over 10,million rounds of artilary per hour...and keep doing that indefinitely with no REAL economic cost...what exactly are you going to do? also i dont know who told you Japan is the 2nd biggest economy in the world... thats NOT true.,... its the EU, 3rd is China 4 is India 5 is Japan by 2015 China will be in number 2 Japan will remain static at number 5 (this is because the economic impact of a pensions black hole takes a while to take effect) Indo-China are expected to make their bonds STRONGER....while keeping its distance from Russia but still alaid to Russia as Russia has a habit of antagonising the west...in particular the US...who in 2015 are still predicted to be the top power...though with a significant reduction in actual power... once indo-china surpass the US...ties with Russia will be strengthened... Corporations and Failed states will also take on a gretaer role in global politics... --------hmmm ive digressed from thed topic...its just that idiots like jar head up there who dont know shit about much think they are so clever.... always a dig...but never any content....bit like the training thier army lads get put through ------- but yes... Teenage pregnancy is something we should be proud of...as its the only real way we gonna stay at number one... ALSO....one has to think about DEMOGRAPHICS... in the UK...currently a christian country...the average christian family contains 2.4 children... the average Muslim family 4.8 ..... if that carries on what do you think will happen? |
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Yeah, if they were good Christians, they wouldn't have sex and get pregnant outside of marriage. It's not important about whether you're a Christian or a Muslim, what matters is that you have a healthy and happy family life. |
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BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Japan population 'set to plummet' the BBC doesnt lie! |
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ahh, not to get bogged down in semantics, but it is true, the UK does have the highest teen preg. rate in Europe; i wouldn't blame it on one particular reason though; the benefits system in the UK is a sham, it is a bigger disservice to the honest tax paying worker than anything else... the attitude towards sex has changed so mush recently too (ie in the last decade) ; it's lees of an issue to sleep around; less stigma is put upon in and its generally assumed that most teenagers are having sex :( I don't know exactly how it is in Japan, but i've heard the benefits system is different (alot less lax) and i think general opinion of sex is still a little more old fashioned (not a bad thing in the slightest!). |
Maybe mainly the reason why the teen pregnancy rate is low, is because in Japan their culture and way of life is some-what revolved around honor, respect and other life based morals.
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I prefer the F-22 personally over the Eurofighter. Radar signature of a small bird and the vector engine thing. The SR71 Blackbird was also pretty sweet, just outrun the other guy(I know missiles are faster but I'm assuming you would be far enough away that they other guy couldn't get a lock).
But this isn't about jets. I have also read some interesting articles about Japan's future population issues. It's projected that it will be 100 million in 2050 and 64 million in 2100(CIA Factbook found through wikipedia). |
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Yeeah its right they really dont care..They people of their age to explain to them..("Hi im 15 and Im pregnant..")
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pretty sweet machine.... but eurofighter has an even sweeter AI system... hmmm yes Blackbird...very quick....but it drinks fuel like a russian drinks vodka... if it is flying with full thrust.....it needs to be refueled mid air...even before it has reached maximum alititude back to japans aging population.... yea the BBC source is a little vague there.... if you look at social security spending for example...its going up exponensially (almost) while at under 10 trillion yen in 1974 it went up to almost 90 trillion yen in 2005! and if you look at how much of that is pensions... then its well under 1tr yen in 74 and well over 50-60 trillion yen in 2005. infact total per capita spending on social security has gone up from about 80,000 yen in 74 to about 700,000 yen in 2005 also in 2020 its the year of the Fire Horse (again) so there will be a massive drop in birth rate that year. if you look at the actuall stats themselves.... then its quite clear that Unless Japan does something...its boned... numbers of under 14 yr olds have more than halved as a %age since the 50's over 75's has more than doubled men over 50 and women over 50 who have never married has doubled aswell even the economic studies published by Japans own GOV do not oaint a very rosy picture... |
off topic much, alpha duck?
teen pregnancy is pretty messed up where i live too i'm all for teens (older teens) having sex, as long as they're in a commited, loving relationship and USE PROTECTION i dont know where you guys got this info that birth control isnt compatible with alot of people. most teens dont have health problems bad enough to exempt them, and the gov. will usually subsidize part or all of the cost (at least here in the states) even if you cant take it, theres a plethora of other birth control out there at our fingertips! there is condoms (which dont break as often as you think), depo provera, the morning after pill, the ring, female condoms, IUD, spermacide, the list goes on and on. it is sad that so many teens get preggo, so much so that our school district put in a daycare at our high school. but i guess thats what you get with an oversexed media, and when your parents and society dont teach you actual morals, respect, and general decency, like people in japan do.:exballoon: |
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I Think you guys are missing the point...
As i see it (i might be wrong as i've never had direct contact with it) the Japanese culture actually as less restrainer thought of sex it self. In the Occidental culture sex was (until not much time ago probably your grandparents age) seen as something bad or that should be hidden as it was not "pure". This way of thinking came all the way from the time Christianity spread to our lands. So only lately this has started to be discussed as part of life, and until now sex was made but it was a "sin". Our culture is now tasting the "forbidden" fruit and not trying to control as they "eat" it. Japan (for its location) didn't had this kind of influences, sex was never a "sin" or not part of their moral code for that they don't have this uncontrollable urge for it. Any way answering the off topics: England pensions for mother who stay in home just tanking care of their child is in my view a very bold and intelligent move by the government as in the long run they will if not fix reduce the problems with aged population. It as some backtracks in economy right now but will help allot latter. As for Japan yes they have the same aged population problem, but as happens with most of Europe it doesn't mean the country's economy will collapse. Even more because of all the multinational companies they have and will sustain the economy. Also your ignoring the fact that Japan had only to slightly open their borders to have 100000... Chinese, Indian or even Australians to work for them in the lowest positions as "cheap work labor". I can't see the Japanese economy crumbling as some of you want to make it look like. Also having the latest advancements in technology in war IS some thing important as it was proven in a battle by the us in the mid east where they lost only a couple of tanks and destroyed over 100 from the enemy. (numbers might be wrong but it was a insignificant lost for the us over the other country's lost) Thank you for reading. p.s.: You may flame me now if you wish i don't really care. |
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I too find the "teenagers are unable to be good parents" bit a little silly.
I`m not a teenage mother, but can say I pretty much completely raised my brother from birth to 5, while looking after (again, alone) my sister from 5 to 10. It wasn`t a matter of "helping" either - it was a matter of my mother not being at home (out "partying"), so I had to pretty much quit school in order to take care of them. Maturity depends upon the person, not age. Age only gives you an advantage - nothing else. I`d say that at 15, I was significantly more mature than my mother at 35... And there is absolutely no doubt to it at all now, as she`s freaking crying and trying to kill herself with a broken coffee cup if her boyfriend gets mad at her for cheating on him. The most immature part of the whole equation is getting pregnant in the first place if you don`t have the ability to deal with the result. |
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