Anissa Stewart10/23/2012INQ 110-RSummary 7-2Unmarried with Children - 1 in 20 American children were born to unmarried mothers during the 1950’s- Today the rate in 1 in 3 American children- “Promises I Can Keep Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriageo 162 Caucasian, African American and Puerto Rican single mothers living in 8 different destitute neighborhoods across Philadelphia and Camden Romance at Lightning Speed- 20 year old Rick and 15 year old Jeno Had a child in their first year of dating o Jen began scrutinizing her baby daddy Ricko Rick got arrested leaving Jen with her stepmother on welfare- Bearing children while poor and unmarried is not ideal - Poor boys and girls do not have such high aspirations so they feel that parent plannins is extremely flexibleo EX: Many middle and upper class families would find having a child out of wedlock at theage of 15 to be disgusting and appalling. While the poor and lower class seem to see it as a simple miscalculationWhen I Become a Mom- Believed their children saved them from their troubled lives- No sense of regret toward having their child- Their lives were spinning out of control- Children offer a sense of purposeI’d like to get Married, But…- Marriage between the poor and lower class has become elusive- New age women want to be financially set no longer reliant on males- Infidelity , drug use and violence are a catalyst for distrust that forces many poor women to havean escape routeCards I Dealt Myself- Jen is doing well for her son- She is taking classes and has a job inputting data at a warehouse distribution center- Rick is in jail for 14-30 yearsPromises I Can Keep- Poor women revere marriage but do not reject itAnissa Stewart10/23/2012INQ 110-RSummary 7-2- Since they believe marriage is forever they believe divorce is worse than having a child of wedlock at the age of 15- The children offer a social and psychological resourceo A sense of purposeo A source of intimacyQuotes- “Jen believes the best time to become a mother is “after you’re out of school and you got a job, at least, when you’re like 21… When you’re ready to have kids, you should have everything ready, have your house, have a job, so when that baby comes, the baby can have its own room.” P171- “Jen admits that when she first became pregnant, she was angry that she “couldn’t be out no more. Couldn’t be out with my friends. Couldn’t do nothing.” Now though, she says, “I’m glad I have a son … because I would still be doing all that stuff.” P171- To Jen and her peers, the worst thing that could happen is “to get married just to get divorced.” P 173- “Like Jen, they are simply not willing to make promises they are not sure they can keep.” P 174Anissa Stewart10/23/2012INQ 110-RSummary 7-2ReflectionIt is very hard for me to feel any type of sympathy or apathy toward Jen and women that are in her situations. The logic that these girls lack is appalling. I cannot fathom having a child at 15. It is inconceivable. I was raised in a middle class family, but that is no reason to say that I am not just as likely to get pregnant. Society as a whole should not be allowing this to happen. Not saying that we should take a stand and riot their decisions, I am just saying that there should be some type of distraction or barrier to keep these girls from ruining their lives. This article was truly very sad and depressing. Girls at this age should be painting their nails and not having sex with other little boys. I can go on to say though that the rate of teenage pregnancies is higher in poor neighborhoods than in richer neighborhoods. This article also illustrates the social mobility within America. Jen and other young mothers like her face a steep climb to improve their income and their standards of living. Social mobility is the process of moving from one economic class to another. In this case Jen is a memberof the lowest or poor working class. By getting a job at the warehouse and continuing her education she is attempting to move to another class such as the lower middle class. During this time in a young woman’s life, having a child forces them to grow up and have to develop faster. Jen was faced with problems that no 15 year old should be faced with. The problems she had with Rick went way beyond a simple relationship. It would seem that because of these trials, Jen andothers like her would have severe trust issues. It could also be concluded that they would have trouble with intimate relationships. It also seems that in this social class, people seem to ignore society. In theAnissa Stewart10/23/2012INQ 110-RSummary 7-2sense that they feel no social obligation to do their part for society. They have no desire to be like everyone else. They are not as socially aware as I believe people of a higher class are. It is a whole new world in which everyone does their own thing. Members of the poorer class don’t focus on the social norms or taboos within their own