In What Ways Have Unwed Mothers Changed Through The Years

A View of Unwed Mothers Down Through the Years The way the public has treated unwed mothers has varied over the past fifty years. “Out of wedlock” mothers have been seen as a drain on society. There are many ways that society has viewed unwed mothers. Some of these are through education, reputation, and also in financial support. In 2010, the public appears to be more accepting of unwed mothers than in the 1950’s. Throughout the years, the educational system has seen a dropout rate in girls within the school system. One of the major reasons younger girl drop out of high school is because of pregnancy. Since the 1950’s there has been a steady incline of teen pregnancies. Sixteen percent of girls in the 1950’s became pregnant and has grown into thirty-four percent in the year 2000 (O’ Connell). When teenage girls are pregnant, they are

In the 1950’s most teenage girls who became pregnant were pulled out of school and sent away to homes that housed them until the child was born (McConnell). After the child was born the young girl would return to her home and school. On the other hand in the twenty-first century, the educational system has made changes and now provides services for unwed mothers; all the way from night classes to college scholarships. There are many grants and scholarships for single mothers to be able to enroll into college. “Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund is a private funding source for single- parent educational expenses” (College Grant Opportunities). The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund is one type of a state fund that contributes to schooling finances. The government tries to help unwed mothers with schooling as much as they can (College Grant Opportunities). The doors that opened for unwed mother to continue education has changed dramatically since the