Why do we have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe?

With teenage pregnancy rising, we have to wander what is it exactly that is causing so many young British teenagers to start early? This is what I pondered on this evening and got debating with my family about it -there was mixed views. But what do you think? Compared to all of western Europe why are our young teens more susceptible to early pregnancy? Is it their fault or societies? And is it fair that pregnant teenagers get more financial help from the housing and benefits system then working adult women who have worked to financial stability in order to then start a family? Are we a society that encourages young girls to get pregnant? Tell me your views, it's difficult to explain what's really happened here.

Holland for instance is only one-fifth as high as the UK with five births per 1,000 teenagers compared to UK's 27. (The Independant, 2009). The Independent article discusses the need for a more in-depth deliverance of sex education in primary school and secondary school. It is argued that the type of sex education the UK's curriculum teaches is more geared towards body parts, biology and facts rather than morality and relationships. Holland on the other hand have a low teenage birth rate and a low abortion rate and teaches the latter type of sex education from a young age.

Siebe Heautzepeter the Headteacher of De Burght school in Amsterdam stated:

"The English are embarrassed to talk about sex. They are too squeamish. Here adults and children are better educated. It would be unthinkable for a Dutch parent to withdraw their child from sex education... There is no point in telling children just to say 'no' - this is a liberal country: you need to tell them why they are saying 'no' and when to say 'yes'."

 He has a valid point, but as the case study of Orkney in Scotland (a community with one of the highest teenage pregnancies in Scotland) showed; at first glance it appeared to show that the sex education has been adapted to talking about sex in terms of relationship and supposedly effected the rates significantly(dramatically halved) (BBC news, 2010). Yet statistical data is more complex than that, some data tends to go up and down over time generally and in the wider snapshot of things, Orkney was one of these examples.

On the other hand, is it because todays generation of young people are exposed to so much sexploitation that has taken away the innocence alongside childhood? At what age do you become mature enough to be a mother? And what happens to the babies of this generation of teenage births, will they go on to repeat the same process? David Cameron argues the general reduction of family values and little attention paid to marriage has led to a growth in single parent families. But can this problem be turned around with some sex education classes or is there a bigger problem at hand? I believe young girls are suffering with an all time high low self esteem problem and there should be more positive female role models for our struggling teenage girls. I for one would not like to be growing up as a young girl in todays society.