Pregnancy and motherhood: Young women's perceptions in the binational context of Mexico- United States

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze some perceptions that young women have of pregnancy and motherhood in two binational communities affected by the migration phenomenon: Tepatitlán de Morelos in the state of Jalisco, Mexico and San Joaquín in the state of California, United States. A qualitative interpretive approach was used for the methodology, with a strategy based on the construction of analytical categories from the life stories shared by the young women. 12 focus groups were formed (six groups per community) in public schools with secondary and high school students aged between 14-17 years. From the findings obtained, it is evident that the factors associated with early pregnancy and early motherhood are related to a set of socio-structural and socio-symbolic conditions in families, in schools and communities. In the majority of cases, these conditions generate contexts of vulnerability, exclusion and gender inequality.