What are young mothers like? Reckless, irresponsible, scheming and conniving, dropping babies at will to get more money and better accommodation from the state. They've ruined their lives, and the future for their children can only be bleak.
Really? In fact, research indicates that nothing could be further from the truth. According to Margaret Dromey of Treoir (National Federation of Services for Unmarried Parents and their Children), "young women who come to us looking for information have usually not planned to get pregnant, and I have certainly never met a woman who tells me she got pregnant so she could get more money or a house. "If anything, they feel marginalised and isolated, and though they want to provide for their children, they have tremendous difficulty getting into the workforce."
Next week, a conference in Dundalk, Co Louth, will look at the developments of a new programme, Moving On, designed to facilitate young mothers to access education and find jobs. Treoir is one of the organisations involved with the programme. "There are all sorts of myths out there regarding young mothers," Dromey says. "Statistics show, for example, that there has actually been a decrease in the amount of teengers having babies over the last 10 years. The point is they are seen as a social problem today, so they are more visible. "That's not to say that young mothers don't face a lot of difficulty, not least of which is the fact that they are usually educationally disadvantaged - having had to leave school early - and frequently end up living in poverty.
"It is too easy to look at young mothers, particularly young unmarried mothers, and call them irresponsible and fear for their children. We have no research in Ireland which shows how children of young mothers fare, and in the absence of any research we shouldn't be pointing the finger. Young mothers need support, not blame." Christine Magee is national co-ordinator of the Moving On programme, an EU-funded initiative aimed at young mothers aged between 16 and 25; the programme currently works from two centres, in Carlow and Dundalk. "We knew from our contact with young mothers that they were very isolated and felt excluded," Magee says. `But despite what people say, they are very motivated. They want to provide as good a life as they can for their children, same as any parent. The problem is they need a tailor-made programme which suits their needs, but those needs are rarely understood."
Young mothers tend to have little self-esteem, Magee says. "Attitudes towards young mothers make matters worse. They feel they should tuck themselves away and not be seen, so it took us quite a while to build up the trust of the women before they would consider the programme." A total of 35 women have now completed the course, which covers information technology, communications, numeracy, child development, women's health, parenting, health and safety and preperation for work. Each course is certified through bodies such as City and Guilds and the Northern Ireland Open College Network.
The course runs for the academic year, followed by a two-month work placement. Vicky Holmes is a 25-year-old mother of three children, aged three to eight, who recently finished the programme and is now working as a secretary with Carlow Regional Youth Service. "The first I heard of it was when the course co-ordinator arrived on my doorstep one day," she says. `I wasn't really very keen to get involved until she explained there were childcare facilities and the hours fitted around school." Although the programme was at times demanding and "you don't have time to keep the house clean and tidy", she says it was "the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm a totally different person, and I think the fact that I could go out and do something like this will motivate my own children in the future.
"The problem really is there aren't enough courses like this. There are hundreds of young mothers out there who don't have the opportunity to do what I've done and they are left at home feeling bored and lonely. Instead of criticising young mothers, people should do positive things for them."
The women who have completed the course are now in quite diverse areas, according to Magee. "One woman is working as an apprentice butcher, one is doing a diploma in social care, some are doing factory work, some working as secretaries and others are doing community youth work. "But this programme is not about forcing young mothers out to work. Some women prefer to stay at home with their families. The Moving On programme offers self-development, and choices."
While being a mother at a young age may be tough, "I wouldn't change anything now," Vicky Holmes says. "Although I was young, I felt I was ready. My mother had me young, and since the beginning of time young women have been having babies. "The problem is people are looking in the wrong direction these days. Instead of stigmatising young mothers, there should be more effective ways of supporting them."
The conference, "Moving On - A North/South Conference on Working with Young Mothers", takes place in the Carrickdale Hotel, Dundalk, Co Louth, on November 24th and 25th. Contact Christine Magee (tel: (01) 872 9933).
