Jag är inte en ”ung mamma” : En kvalitativ studie av unga mammors upplevelser av att bli mamma i tonåren

Sammanfattning: This is a qualitative study based on interviews with mothers who had children between the age of 17 and 19, and also on one interview with an informant. The study’s theoretical starting point is Erikson's identity theory, the life course perspective, intersectionality and the feminist perspective. My results show that the young mothers feel that they are in contrary to the prevailing values of at what age it is normal to have children. They feel that their relationships to friends have been affected and that they cannot fully identify with their friends in the same age, at the same time that they feel they cannot, or do not want to enter the adult world. The young mothers have also experienced that people want to reprove them. In our culture, there are prejudices against young mothers, they are seen as irresponsible and selfish, which means that young mothers need to behave perfectly and impeccably to prove to their surroundings that they are good parents. This results in that young mothers are struggling to fit into the parental role, and try to make it appear as if everything is good. A further result is that half of the respondents have experienced discrimination on the basis that they are young mothers.