Black Teenage Mothers and Their Mothers: The Impact of Adolescent Childbearing on Daughters' Relations with Mothers

The popular view assumes that Black families condone teenage motherhood. This study argues that this assumption is incorrect, finding instead that teenage motherhood can produce long-term conflict both in family relations and structure. The 22 teenage mothers interviewed for this qualitative study believed that their mothers did not support them emotionally. Interviews with nine adult mothers1 of the teenagers substantiated this belief: Their daughters' early motherhood threatened their deeply held moral values as well as their reputations in the community. This study concludes that sociologists need to address these relational problems through linking these mothers' socioeconomic conditions with gender, class, and race inequalities.