Let's talk about sex

Sex sells. There is no doubt about it. It's old news, but it is good news. Any magazine or newspaper in the world that put "sex" on its front page can be sure to sell more than the newspaper next to it. Only real competiotion must be Norwegian papers writing about the weather. Because weather sells too.

Anyway, the reason for this entry is that I am considering calling my master thesis "Let's talk about sex." I might add the "baby" for estethic purposes, and come to think about it, it is quite relevant for my research question as well. Babies. Of mothers who are still children. Got it? Teenage pregnancy and all the problems surrounding it - that's the topic of my thesis. I have a presentation of it all tomorrow, and instead of scribbling down some of the arguments I am going to present, I would much rather explain it to you.

Teenage girls are in many parts of the world considered the most vulnerable members of society in regards to health, education and reproductive choices. A Norwegian researchers recently found out that the longer girls stay in school the fewer children they have. And we are not talking country size reduction in numbers, we are talking about the recommended 2,2 children that most likely will pop out anyway. And even that is a bit too much for the rainforest at the moment. The research showed that girls in the US would have more children than girls in Norway, despite the support system in Norway is way better, but the answer was in the amount of education the girls had. The findings were of course that when girls were in school they didn't have time for risk activities like...you know...ehhm...sex.

I will conduct my fieldwork in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in addition to the human rights aspects of the choices, options and opportunities teenage mothers have, I'll look into how and if education can stagnate girls' cluckiness and help them stay girls just a little longer. The girls I'll be talking to have the added disadvantage of growing up in a shelter, without, and here I presume, the positive network family and close friends can provide one in these kinds of difficult situations. Of course these networks can become a bit too close and controlling, Argentina is also infamous for a strict Catholic church and restrictive abortion laws, leaving pregnant teenagers, no matter reason for their pregnancy, little choice. A disturbing fact is then that five million girls undergo unsafe abortions every year, and in Colombia it is the second largest cause of maternal mortality. When limiting girls' reproductive choices, a country doesn't just undermine the girls' right to education and health, but it jeopardizes their development as humans as well as the development of the country.

Think about that next time you have sex.