AIBU to wonder if Teen Mom UK reflects class demographics?

[Fieldday26]

I’ve recently started watching the UK Teen Mom series (I’m only on series 2, so this may change as I get further through it!) and I’ve noticed pretty much all of the girls/families featured seem to be from fairly working class/lower socioeconomic backgrounds. I’m absolutely not saying that as a criticism of them individually, some of them are doing amazing (finishing their A-levels, buying a house etc) and obviously I know the show is only a small selection of teen mums.

It just made me wonder why that seems to be the case. Do you think the producers specifically targets / chooses girls from those backgrounds because it makes for the type of TV they want to make? That girls from more middle-class backgrounds are less likely to agree to be filmed because they realise that Teen Mom potentially doesn’t portray teenage motherhood in a particularly positive light? Or is it actually fairly representative of the demographics of teenage mothers in the UK, and we’re simply seeing what the reality is? Or most likely a combination of all three?

I’m genuinely curious rather than trying to make a point about the girls on the programme. I also appreciate that “class” is a pretty broad and subjective thing, and I’m basing this entirely on what we see on the show rather than knowing anything about their actual circumstances.

Also does it change in the later series?

That’s right but not sure it makes any difference to the post.

Well, it’s a different cast of people in Teen Mom UK, and you’re talking about the class of the people on the show so I’d say it probably does make a difference as it’s not the same people.

It’s not that teenagers from more affluent backgrounds don’t get pregnant but quite frankly they often don’t stay pregnant! And the handful that do may have the common sense not to apply for such a show. Only a certain kind of personality wants to do reality tv, oh and it’s not really a class thing more a thinking it will make you famous thing

Right so, is the class divide different on the original? That was kind of one of my questions?

Im actually on series 4 now and one of the girls on this series, is probably more middle class but is moving into a farming family.

I can think of at least a couple who were more affluent on the US version - Farrah, Maci and Chelsea all were middle class and didn't have the financial difficulties or family disruption of the others. They mostly had the issue of passing their education or keeping a job as a young mum but most of them went to college. That said, it was 18 years ago so they were probably more naive about applying for a TV show. The working class ones on the original had a lot of family issues with lack of support, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse so it was more mixed. The original also had 1 of the 4 who had placed their baby for adoption as contrast.

I think Mia’s family and Chloe’s family are quite well off.

I find that hard to beleive 2011 was only 15 years ago
It wasent easy to get a council house then either
Even in the 80s it wasent as simple as just getting pregnant and the council will house you.

Middle class teens are less likely to get pregnant in the first place as they are better informed about contraception and more likely to use it correctly.

If they do get pregnant they are far more likely to have an abortion.

If they decide to go ahead with the pregnancy they are unlikely to want to embarrass themselves and their families by going on ‘reality TV’.

Yes chloes Dad has his own buisness and emplyoyed Jorden
They were given an awful lot of help from family to get a nice home etc
Im not sure about Mia but she slways seems to have money
And sh tried to be an entrepenaur a couple of sereies ago
Im aware i know way to much about the teen mom franchise

I might have to see if I can find the original ones and have a watch.

Yes chloes Dad has his own buisness and emplyoyed Jorden
They were given an awful lot of help from family to get a nice home etc
Im not sure about Mia but she slways seems to have money
And sh tried to be an entrepenaur a couple of sereies ago
Im aware i know way to much about the teen mom franchise😂

I think Mia’s mum is very well off apparently. She’s never featured in the show though. But yes Chloe and Jordan had lots of financial help.

Working class families have regular incomes. They work.

I think you’re confusing working class families (I’m from one, EVERYBODY in the family works from a young age through to elderly) with families who are reliant on benefits.

Not the same.

I literally said it was a generalisation based on my experience just because yours is different doesn’t mean mine isn’t true

Interesting discussion!
From my own experience of a very working class background, then going to a slightly 'nicer' senior school in a less deprived area, aside from all the reasons already mentioned, in my area working class girls had been raised to see abortion as murder (not with a religious element either) whereas I never encountered that attitude in my senior school - necessary evil and aborting a teenage pregnancy was seen as the only sensible option. So for the WC it was less about what happened with their lives, it was more about NOT having an abortion.

I’d say actually they have higher expectations for what they would like the children’s lives to be. Certainly among my friends who have had abortions. A lot of consideration about the man and relationship (some of the men we were dating younger wouldn’t have been a good stable choice to inflict on a child and the relationships wouldn’t have lasted long term), making sure you can adequately provide, properly house and feed them and give them the opportunities we grew up with.

I look at some of the threads on here and I’m agog that people are cheering on someone to have a fourth baby as a single parent with a crappy Dad, with no proper job, in a cramped insecure property. Where a new baby is just going to make everything more challenging for the existing children in terms of time and resources, and possibly push back the plan to retrain and get a decent job to be able to give them more. But there are normally pages and pages of ‘go for it hun, you’ll never regret a baby’

Not sure if that’s applicable now tbh. I’m a mother to a WC 16 year old son who has two sets of friends. His WC crowd from school and his MC crowd from sport. His best friend attends private school so my son is invited to their parties. Let’s just say they’re a whole lot more wild than the house parties that his school friends have hosted. Lots more underage sex and drugs for a start.

Well depending on the sport that's a bit of a skew on the demographic. Everyone knows that rugby and polo boys are wild for example.

Chloe’s family seems pretty middle class.

is it actually fairly representative of the demographics of teenage mothers in the UK, and we’re simply seeing what the reality is?

Nail on the head

Well yeah because the show wouldn't be fitting the narrative if they found an upper middle class girl who'd chosen to have a child at 15. No doubt there's a couple knocking about but the majority would be from a lower socio-economic group.

Also the sort of people who watch the show, know what's it like and agree to go on it are going to be similar to the previous participants. Or at least they know they'll be portrayed that way.

I imagine they specifically pick people who they know will make for good drama. I actually tried to go on 16 and pregnant when I was 16 and pregnant. But I guess I’m too fucking boring because I didn’t hear back 😂

Oh and I’ve got catholic parents who kicked me out for getting pregnant. So they wouldn’t have been on the show they had working class jobs but acted in a way that would be considered very middle class on here.

I’ve never actually watched teen mom but from the clips I’ve seen they obviously keep people on it way past the age of “teen mom” some of those on there look about 30. Maybe it’s not too late for me to apply

100%. I got pregnant at 19 and had an abortion. Was in my first year of university. It didn’t cross my mind to tell my mum: I knew she would be horrified and there would be no question of keeping the baby. They were totally focused on my education and would have been really angry and scared at the prospect of me not finishing my degree.

I don’t regret the abortion. I wasn’t ready and wasn’t in a stable relationship with the father, but looking back on it I do wonder whether if I had come from a family with different values I could at least have talked to them about it.

I think some middle class families would be supportive if the DD chose to keep the baby...e.g. when my friend got pregnant half way through university her newly retired dad watched the baby so she could go back and finish her third year.
BUT I think they would heavily discourage the DD from going on reality TV!