Pregnancy and Parenting Among Homeless Youth: Attitudes, Experiences and Gendered Nuances

Background: Homelessness among youth exacerbates a range of challenging life experiences, notable examples of which are pregnancy and parenting. Pregnancy rates among homeless youth are up to eight times higher compared to those of their housed counterparts. Limited research exists on the parenting experiences of this population, although studies have shown that 30%-40% of homeless youth indicate they have at least one biological child. Most studies of pregnancy and parenting among young adults, regardless of housing status, focus specifically on young women who identify as heterosexual and cisgender. Research is lacking on young men’s attitudes and experiences, in general, as well as the influences which youths’ gender identities and sexualities may have on their pregnancy and parenting outcomes and trajectories. This phenomenological study expands this area of research by qualitatively exploring gender differentials, including youths’ gender identities and sexual orientations, with regard to their attitudes and experiences of pregnancy and parenting while homeless.

Methods: Using a semi-structured interview guide, qualitative data were obtained from interviews with a diverse sample of 30 female, male, and gender non-conforming homeless youth, ages 18-21, residing at a youth-serving shelter in the Southwest U.S. To comprehensively capture the sample’s lived experiences regarding pregnancy and parenting, transcripts were first independently and then collectively examined by three coders across three iterative rounds of coding (e.g., open, holistic, and focused coding, respectively).

Results: Findings revealed that topics of pregnancy and parenting represent a wide range of complexities, double standards, and threats for homeless youth. Though pregnancy is often viewed positively within this community, it is received and experienced differently for each gender and sexuality. For a cisgender female, though a pregnancy may initially elicit positive reactions from her surrounding social network, the burden of parenting in exceptionally challenging situations often falls solely on her. However, straight cisgender males are most commonly perceived (sometimes unfairly) as avoidant of any responsibilities to remain in a relationship after a pregnancy is discovered, nor are they expected to play an active role in parenting. For LGBTQ youth, pregnancy and parenting often signify threats to their very identities, causing some youth to encounter violence and experiences of further social exclusion.

Conclusions and Implications: Results demonstrate opportunities for interventions to help homeless youth navigate an array of experiences regarding pregnancy and parenting. Pregnancy prevention and parenting interventions are needed that are tailored to the uniquely challenging contexts of homeless youths’ lives. Interventions that effectively enable communication strategies among intimate partners about pregnancy prevention, intention, decision-making, and options could potentially prevent pregnancies that are unwanted, strained or fractured relationships, and often-gendered experiences of poverty and social exclusion. Youths’ unimpeded access to and knowledge of all available reproductive and sexual healthcare services is essential, and services must be inclusively designed and delivered for youth of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Service providers must also become more fluent and comfortable engaging youth regarding these topics. Interventions and resources on parenting and co-parenting, particularly models that further engage and encourage young fathers’ involvement, are desperately needed.