“mama's baby, papa's maybe.” is teen pregnancy and parenting only a woman's burden?

Young women bear the brunt of teen pregnancy and parenting consequences. While studies have shown an adult father's involvement positively affects the physical, social, and cognitive development of children, as well as the adult mother's well-being, there is less research regarding the role, life outcomes and perspectives of teen fathers. We conducted 22 single-sex focus groups with 186 male and female youth and interviews with 94 adult stakeholders in four California counties about their opinions of teen pregnancy and parenting. A small proportion of youth and adult respondents had children as teens. Among all adults and youth, respondents overwhelmingly agreed that teen pregnancy is the mother's burden. While participants cited the obligatory educational, social, and familial changes for young pregnant women, they described parenting as a choice for young men. “[A]ll he has to do is just say, ‘Oh, that's not my baby.'” Fathers remaining involved in the lives of the mother and baby was seen as remarkable. “That's like, a rare occasion, that the dad actually stays.” If a father stays involved, respondents felt it was more likely to provide support for the baby, than to remain in a relationship with the mother. Participants agreed that it is rare for a young woman to avoid her parenting responsibilities, in which case the maternal grandparents often take on the parenting and financial responsibilities. Findings demonstrate the need for pregnancy prevention efforts and youth programs to address male responsibility, fatherhood, gender norms, and the unique support needs of teenage fathers.