Consequence and Danger Overarching Motherhood: Intertwining a Proposed Academic Sustainability and Continuity

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Typical school-age mothers and working parents with babies/children to nourish find it very difficult to study or to work without a trusted and reliable childcare. Oftentimes, school-age mothers have to be absent from classes to attend to childcare things. Corollary, this happens also to working mothers who occasionally have to be absent in order to attend to their babies/infants' childcare. It is proposed that childcare for school-age mothers and working parents in the Philippines is provided by the government in the actual school premise or workplaces without added financial constraints. Services and supplies have to be given from childcare to the continued education of school-age mothers and hassle-free working for parents with infants to care.

METHODS

The qualitative approach was used to bring a rich, complex understanding of the meanings derived from the lived experiences of school-age mothers. Snowball sampling was utilized and according to Dudovskiy (2019), this is used when characteristics to be possessed by samples are rare and difficult to find. This is deemed applicable since the sample investigated is quite small, enabling the researchers to answer the research questions. Information was gathered from 8 key informants using a guide question ensured to be valid & reliable. Also, researchers asked permission from the school head and students' parents.

RESULTS

Paramount to any discussion on school-age motherhood are themes like emotional crisis, depression & struggles. Teen mothers face a host of obstacles including issues about pregnancy and revealing this to their parents, the stigma associated with pregnancy, internal struggles, being judged immediately, and the likes. Each of the school-age mothers talked about the massive amounts of obstacles they faced like an emotional crisis, depression, etc.

DISCUSSIONS

Key informants experienced unimaginable struggles about teenage pregnancy. Most of them had openness in their way of thinking; they opted to accept its repercussion and responsibility. They admitted that the number of problems they were dealing with prompted them to try premarital sex. School-age mothers must be tough enough to surpass these thru intervention programs and provision of services like flexibility with attendance, and alternative pathways to graduation. Increased support or funding to childcare services has to be available along with schools' and districts' appointing a coordinator to advocate for academic sustainability & continuity.