TEENAGE FATHERHOOD: ANALYZING ITS MEANING, CHALLENGES AND CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

Teenage fatherhood is socially a rarely approached subject and remains virtually unexplored in the scientific field, with few studies to cover the topic. Considering this, the present study aims to analyze the perspective of teenage fathers on the meaning they attribute to fatherhood, regarding the challenges, consequences and implications it has brought to their lives, thus contributing to a better comprehension of teenage fatherhood. In the analysis, the importance they attach to fatherhood, the speech of respondents shows that they see as really valuable the contact with their children. All of them felt involved with the pregnancy of their partners, claiming that they helped in everything in their power and continue to help in the care of the child. It is noted that the Acknowledgement of paternity concerns the responsibility of providing the child financially, since, in all investigated cases, the teenagers felt they need to get a job after they became fathers.