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‘It’s Mad How Much You Grow up’: The Future for Young Parents and Their Children

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Teenage Pregnancy, Parenting and Intergenerational Relations

Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life ((PSFL))

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Abstract

Beginning with the notion of parenthood as a turning point, this chapter considers the likelihood of the young people achieving their ambitions in the face of the obstacles in their path. All the young women said they wanted better for their children, but their parents had said, in turn, that they had hoped for better for their teenager. Several who said they had not done well at school or had ‘messed up’ were emphatic about telling their child not to make the same mistakes. Current political discussions of social mobility and a lack of aspiration amongst poorer people have focussed on the individual without addressing structural constraints, and this argument frames the debate here, allowing the chapter to draw a contrast between policy and lived experience.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Freelance Researcher, London, UK

    Sally Brown

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  1. Sally Brown
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© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)

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Brown, S. (2016). ‘It’s Mad How Much You Grow up’: The Future for Young Parents and Their Children. In: Teenage Pregnancy, Parenting and Intergenerational Relations. Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49539-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49539-6_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-49538-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-49539-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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