Reassurance, fearmongering or cautionary tales: what television teaches young women about motherhood by Rebecca Feasey for In Media Res, a mediacommons project.

1. REASSURANCE, FEARMONGERING OR
CAUTIONARY TALES:
WHAT TELEVISION TEACHES YOUNG WOMEN
ABOUT MOTHERHOOD

2. WHEN I SEE TEENAGERS OR YOUNG WOMEN WITH BABIES
OR CHILDREN ON TV, THEY EITHER HAVE CHOICES TAKEN
AWAY FROM THEM, OR THEY JUST MAKE BAD CHOICES. IT IS
AS IF YOUNG SINGLE MOTHERS HAVE NO CHANCE OF
SUCCESS AND NOTHING TO OFFER. I DON’T WANT THIS TO
BE MY LIFE, SO I WILL WAIT UNTIL I AM OLDER TO START A
FAMILY… SO WHATEVER HAPPENS … I CAN SUPPORT
MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN.

4. SEEING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF YOUNG MOTHERS IN
THE MEDIA MAKES ME NOT WANT TO HAVE A CHILD AT A
YOUNG AGE … I AM ENCOURAGED TO WAIT UNTIL I AM
MARRIED WITH A WELL-PAYING JOB AND OWN MY OWN
HOUSE.

6. IT … OPENED MY EYES TO WANT TO WAIT TO HAVE
CHILDREN UNTIL I'M OLDER AND IN A MORE STABLE
SITUATION.

8. TELEVISION SHOWS AND NEWS REPORTS ABOUT SINGLE
MOTHERS … IF THEY FIND THEMSELVES WITHOUT THEIR
PARTNERS THEIR WHOLE LIVES APPEAR TO FALL APART.
THESE HAVE INFLUENCED ME IN THAT I WILL NOT HAVE
CHILDREN UNTIL MYSELF ALONE CAN SUPPORT THEM, AS I
HAVE A FEAR THAT IT COULD BE A POSSIBILITY I COULD BE A
SINGLE MOTHER BUT I WOULDN’T WANT THAT TO AFFECT MY
CHILDREN'S LIVES.

10. I SEE MOTHERS ON TV THAT ARE SINGLE AND STRUGGLING
WITH TRYING TO GET AN EDUCATION, A JOB, KEEP A SOCIAL
LIFE. THAT ALL JUST SEEMS TOO DAUNTING. I DON'T THINK
THIS IS SOMETHING I WOULD FEEL I WANT TO DO UNLESS I
WERE IN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES TO CONSIDER IT.

12. I ASPIRE TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL CAREER THAT CAN
SUPPORT A FAMILY, ESPECIALLY IF I THEN WERE TO RAISE
CHILDREN WITHOUT A PARTNER.

14. WATCHING TELEVISION HAS ALSO MADE ME FEEL LIKE I
DON'T WANT TO BE A SINGLE MUM … SHOWS WHERE THE
MUM IS SINGLE SEEM TO HAVE A LOT MORE PROBLEMS
COMPARED TO THE MARRIED COUPLES. WHETHER IT'S
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS IN LOVE OR HAVING
REGULAR ARGUMENTS WITH THE KIDS.

16. A LOT OF THE TIME I THINK THAT I AM GOING TO HAVE THE
'PERFECT FAMILY' ONE DAY ... [BUT TELEVISION MAKES ME
THINK] I NEED TO BE MORE REALISTIC ABOUT THIS.

18. I GUESS IT MADE ME REFLECT ON MY OWN DESIRES IN LIFE,
IN TERMS OF WANTING TO BE A MOTHER SOMEDAY WHILE
ALSO WANTING TO ESTABLISH A CAREER FOR MYSELF.

19. THE EXCEPTION THAT PROVES THE RULE …