The Nation's Wonder Women: The Status of Mothers in the Philippines
A s an adolescent, I cannot imagine myself getting into marriage at this age; I am too young, too clueless to have a family as stable as the one my parents have made. No matter how much I would love my partner and future children, I wouldn't be able to be responsible for my family since I do not have any occupation and cannot stand on my own in society. This is why I'm studying college—so that I can become a capable adult with a good character and personality fitting for a family. This is also why I find it very heartbreaking to see how many adolescents are going through parenthood irresponsibly without even understanding what they are actually doing. According to the Guttmacher Institute, among approximately five million adolescent women who accounted 19% of all women of reproductive age (15-49), 15% percent of adolescent Filipino women were reported to have had sex. Among women aged 18-24, 19% had sex before 18. This was much more prevalent among the poor and those livi
