Sociological Imagination And Teenage Pregnancy Essay

In today’s society, teen pregnancy has greatly increased. Teen birth rates in the United States are extremely high. About 400,000 American girls between the ages of 15-19 give birth each year, which is one of the highest rates of teen births among industrialized countries. Many influences in society today impacts teenagers and their actions such as media and family structure. This essay will discuss C. Wright Mills’ idea of sociological imagination and how it applies to the higher teen birth rates in America today. Sociological imagination is a quality of mind that provides an understanding of us within the context of the larger society. Sociological imagination includes an explanation of personal troubles and social issues. C. Wright Mills believed that using what he called the “sociological imagination” in this way helps people understand their society and how it affects their own lives. In today’s society, music, social media, movies, and types of clothing have a big influence on todays teenagers. Many people deem

For example, the sexual norms such as acceptance of premarital sex has a huge impact on today’s teenagers because they consider it acceptable to have sex. Moreover, in today’s society, it is okay to be a single parent. The family structures have changed to more single-parent families and absentee fathers. Also, exposure to more sexualized imagery in the media influence teenagers to have sex because they see it everywhere and consider it a norm. Furthermore, teachers can no longer use the “scare tactic” anymore for sex education because teenagers will continue to rebel against authority. Furthermore, the importance of religion has declined in the last couple decades so premarital sex is acceptable in today’s society. Sexual norms including premarital sex, family structures, exposure to media, sex education policies, and the decline of religion have all greatly impacted todays