Mollidor, Claudia
(2013)
I deserve respect because I’m a good mum: social representations of teenage motherhood and the potential for social change.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
The aim of this thesisis to investigate the representations of teenage motherhood held by teenage
mothers and specialised service providers in London and as expressed through public policy of the
United Kingdom between 1999 and 2009, with the view of enabling social change in policy and
practice. The secondary aim is to investigate the ways in which teenage mothers and specialised
practitioners dialogically construct identities for themselves in light of these representations.
The theoretical underpinnings of my empirical investigation are Social Representations Theory,
especially the ‘structural approach’ and its expression of dilemmatic common sense through core
and peripheral representational elements. This thesis also highlights the theory’s associations with
social identities,stigma, power and resistance, and the possibility for social change.
The qualitative methodological approach of a London‐based case study includes interviews and focus
groups as well as observations with teenage mothers, interviews with specialised practitioners, and a
thematic analysis of policy documents. The datasets are thematically analysed and juxtaposed
through the lens of the ‘structural approach’.
Findings suggest that, at the core, teenage motherhood is constructed as problematic by teenage
mothers, practitioners and in policy. Simultaneously, all three datasets actively construct and draw
on peripheral elements which are at odds with the core. Young mothers construct positive
representations of teenage motherhood based on their own experiences and frequently draw on
peripheral elements to negotiate positive identities. Specialised practitioners highlight the potential
positive outcomes of teenage motherhood with appropriate support, and construct identities for
themselves as‘correctors’, ‘defenders’ and ‘protectors’ of teenage mothers despite being exposed to
courtesy stigma. Policy paints a heterogeneous picture of teenage motherhood as a multi‐faceted
reality that can be managed through specialised professional support. The opportunities for social
change based on the discourses and actions through which teenage motherhood is represented are
discussed.
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