Growing Up Together: Teenage Pregnancy and Motherhood in the Israeli New Orthodox Sector as Reflected in Drawings and Interviews

Abstract

This article discusses the experiences of 14 Jewish New Orthodox teenagers (over 18 years of age) who gave birth out of wedlock and raised their children as adolescents. Drawings of the mother–child relationship and semistructured interviews with the mothers were used to assess their perceptions of parenthood, and their perceptions of their own parents' relationship with them. The analysis was based on the principles of grounded theory. Three themes emerged from the data analysis, which was based on grounded theory: (a) factors leading to teenage pregnancy out of wedlock, (b) parental characteristics of New Orthodox teenage girls, and (c) pregnancy and motherhood in adolescence, and in particular, coping and growth versus self-destruction. The findings showed that becoming pregnant for a religious teen may be experienced as a period of turmoil and generate feelings of ostracism and loss. Assistance during pregnancy and early parenting support emerged as insufficient. The discussion centers on ways to provide more information and awareness about sexuality and contraception in the New Orthodox community. Counseling and support services should be more easily available and accessible to religious girls in these communities.