In two empirical studies, this dissertation explores the how young mothers spend their time constructing motherhood. The first study (Chapter 2) explores self-reported teen mother time use and compares it to their non-mother counterparts. When to have a child is the single most important economic decision most women make. Teen moms birth and raise their children usually before formal education ends thus subjecting themselves to the double burden of a truncated educational history as well as the financial hurdles that come with minimal education. Qualitative studies emphasize that teen mothers repeatedly convey that they have the additional burden of holding dual roles as both "mother" and "teenager"- subordinated statuses. Using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), I show that teen moms spend their time similarly to their non-mother counterparts with the exception of the amount of time spent on schooling and childcare. Teen mothers replace time spent on school with time spent caring for their children. Otherwise, all other time such as leisure, sleep, shopping, travel, etc...is insignificantly different from other teenage girls who do not yet have children. The results of Chapter 2 suggest that teen mothers view schooling as neither a teen activity nor a mothering activity even though schooling is where most of their teenage, non-mother counterparts spend a significant portion of their day. Taking a social constructionist approach in the second study (Chapter 3), I explore the portrayed images of teen moms through their use of time and how television producers convey teen mom emotions. I focus on the social construction of teen motherhood through popular portrayals of young mothers participating in common activities. My methods include watching the show, coding 33 variables in each scene and taking extensive notes on the narrative arch for each teen mom. Despite the "documentary" style of the show, producers editorially construct mixed messages about the realities of teen motherhood. My analysis reflects the central messages of the Teen Mom television series and highlights two aspects of constructing motherhood: images of how teen mothers spend their time and the emotional complexity of their choices. In order to understand the specific social constructions of young motherhood, the viewer experiences both negative consequences and the emergence of a teen mother construction. I find that the young mothers quickly learn to spend much of their time in the company of extended family such as parents, partners and siblings. I also find that the teen mothers on average are portrayed more often as having a negative emotional response to their situations. Like the ATUS teen moms, the MTV teen moms struggle to attend and complete school while not sacrificing other parts of the teenage experience such as dating, first jobs, and time with friends. Overall, my research shows how teen mothers selectively draw from both teenage and mothering behaviors and attitudes to construct a unique character in the face of a historically stigmatized one. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 6, 2015. / education media, reality television, sex education, Teen Mom, teen motherhood, time use / Includes bibliographical references. / Deana A. Rohlinger, Professor Directing Dissertation; Leigh H. Edwards, University Representative; John R. Reynolds, Committee Member; Douglas P. Schrock, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_253040 |
| Contributors | Stamm, Tara Mantovani (authoraut), Rohlinger, Deana A. (professor directing dissertation), Edwards, Leigh H., 1970- (university representative), Reynolds, John R., 1966- (committee member), Schrock, Douglas P. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (degree granting college), Department of Sociology (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (102 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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