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Teen mothers and high school often don’t mix.  Many times young girls are forced to drop out because of social stigmas and to take care of their newborn child.  In order to encourage students to stay in school despite being pregnant, many schools in the U.S. offer special classes and child care facilities allowing students to finish high school.  In some countries, however, there are not as many options.

In Korea, for example, teenage pregnancy in high school is not accepted.  The moment that a student’s pregnancy becomes public knowledge, she is immediately forced to drop out.  Kim Su-hyeon got pregnant last year as a senior in high school at age 19.  She was determined not to give up her child nor her own education, so her mother brought the case to the attention of the National Human Rights Commission. The commission helped Kim and her mother by showing that it was discriminatory for any school to force a student to drop out because of pregnancy. Afterwards, Kim was able to return to school, graduate, and also give birth. She is now a mother and in her first year at university.

Thousands of teens become pregnant in Korea each year. The government’s reaction is to provide 100,000 won ($88.61) each month to unwed mothers. Apart from that, there is no government support to allow them to continue their education.  Hopefully with cases like Kim Su-hyeon’s, more attention will be paid to teen pregnancies, helping to support them when they do occur and to help young women continue their education.

Tags: High School, Korea, Teen Pregnancy