Getting to hear the voices of the unwed mothers: their decisions to keep their babies for lone motherhood

Abstract

Drawing upon interview data from a study investigating the experiences of 20 unwed mothers in Hong Kong, this article explores the narratives of the participants, especially their decisions in keeping their babies and to taking up the responsibilities of lone motherhood. Specific focus is given to the importance of their narratives so that their voices are heard – how they positioned themselves in relation to dominant cultural scripts surrounding lone motherhood. Their voices have relevance for helping professionals working with young people who play a useful role in facilitating and supporting unwed mothers within their locality, as well as for the general public who play an important role in “breaking” the labels and isolations of unwed mothers.

Pregnancy resolutions among pregnant teens: termination, parenting or adoption?

“…A few studies have been conducted in the West to explore the decision-making process that teenagers go through when trying to come to a decision about their pregnancy [ 10 - 12 ]. A study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of young Chinese women during their unintended pregnancy [ 13 ], and another study focused on explaining the decision made by young Chinese women to keep their baby and to take up the responsibilities of being a single mother [ 14 ]. However, there has been no study on the different decisions that young Chinese women make concerning their pregnancy.…”