Teenage Pregnancy in Juno
Definitions
‘Sociology’ is defined as being the study of the construction and development of human society. It encompasses a broad spectrum of ideas, theories and trends which affect the way in which people conduct themselves and their business. Sociology is a unique subject in as much as it is constantly evolving due to the ever-shifting shape of society; it will continue to do so too as, by their very nature, human beings are forever changing.
‘Sociological Imagination’ is defined as being a phrase which incorporates the nature of sociological study and its importance within everyday life. Much like other subjects which ask questions, Sociology requires its participants to be imaginative in their consideration of which questions should be asked and how it can help to interpret or even change human society.
Social Issues and Personal Problems
The main difference between ‘social issues’ and ‘personal problems’ is the significance of whether there is a trend within society which demonstrates a demographic who are affected by similar issues. If one person is struggling with a drug addiction, it is a personal problem; however, drugs are defined as a social issue due to their impact on a significant proportion of society. One thing which does affect both is a sense of self-efficacy which can alter an individual’s approach to solving their problems, as well as deeply affecting the ability of a group of people in working to solve social issues: Earley (1993) states that “beliefs of personal efficacy contribute to productivity by members of collectivist cultures as they do by those raised in individualistic cultures.” (Bandura, 1997, p34). This demonstrates the fundamental need for personal efficacy to help improve both personal problems and social issues.
Another defining factor which the two terms share is their attribution to the locus of control, which is defined as being a psychological theory which discusses the extent to which individuals feel that they can control things that affect them. This directly links to personal problems: “With the locus of control construct, we are dealing with a person as he views himself in conjunction with the things that befall him” (Lefcourt, 1982, p35). However, it is equally as applicable to social issues due to the potential for a proportion of individuals affected to have a distorted locus of control.
Movie
The movie I have chosen to discuss is Juno (Reitman, 2007). My reason for discussing this movie is its irreverent take on one of society’s biggest issues: teenage pregnancy. Its director, Jason Reitman, adopts a realistic take on the emotional immaturity of teenagers and juxtaposes it with the emotional maturity requirement of pregnancy. The film is not over-dramatic and deals with the reality of teenage pregnancy in a humorous and life-affirming style which does not immediately dismiss it as being the end of the world for the film’s eponymous heroine. Released in 2007, it is contemporary and honest and, the film’s star, Ellen Page, tackles the idea in a reserved and unassuming way.
Social Issue Presented in Film
The film presents the social issue of teenage pregnancy. This is a social problem, as opposed to a personal one, due to its huge impact within societies across the globe, particularly in the last ten to fifteen years: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnancies per 1,000 women are down across all age groups by the number of births in women between the ages of ten and twenty is amongst the least affected with 2010 procuring no less than 34.2 women in 1,000 having a teenage birth (CDC, 2012). This clearly demonstrates that teenage pregnancy is a social trend due to its consistently high rate of individuals affected, as opposed to just one or two cases. Juno is representative of this because it does not attempt to create a media panic but, rather, it approaches the subject with a matter-of-fact attitude, demonstrative of a social issue rather than a personal problem.
Reality
Two facts about this social problem:
1. Roughly 750,000 teenagers become pregnant in the USA every year.
2. Around only a third of teenage mothers achieve their high school diploma and only 1.5% go on to achieve a college degree before the age of thirty.
(DoSomething.org, 2012).
Biography
Born in Montreal, Canada in 1977, Jason Reitman has always been familiar with the film industry thanks largely to his mother’s profession as an actress. His father, a film-maker, is also a Jewish Czech and a holocaust survivor, which may well have helped to shape Reitman’s relaxed approach to his portrayal of life as having a ‘what will be, will be’ attitude (IMDB, 2012). Reitman’s first film, Thank You For Smoking (2005), set the tone for Reitman’s irreverent approach to storytelling and paved the way for his follow-up feature film, Juno. Instead of responding to offers to create more commercial films, Reitman opted to focus on creating his own short films and directing adverts which, undoubtedly, helps to lend itself to Reitman’s trademark quirkiness and irreverent humour.
Juno received massive amounts of kudos from critics with a 94% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes, 2012). It was praised for its humorous approach to a difficult social issue. Reitman, himself, is yet to have any children and so, again, perhaps this shaped his approach to telling Juno’s tale. During his high school years, he was a keen high jumper – an echo of the film’s male protagonist love of running, perhaps (IMDB, 2012). Reitman had a relatively normal upbringing but brings a subtly fun approach to his movies.
Theory
A structuralist-functionalist viewpoint of teenage pregnancy might suggest that child-bearing and mating traditions have evolved “because external factors have channelled the choice of customs in certain directions most consistent with survival and prosperity” (Dean, 1998, p19). Arguably, this view is a practical discussion which subverts the idea of teenage pregnancy as being a ‘problem’ and considers it as more of a solution to other issues facing society. These might include an increase in female workers, career-driven women, and a rise in external factors which can, potentially, affect fertility. Functionalist theory focuses on the productivity and efficiency of various aspects of society and so, to a functionalist, pregnancy, at any age, is a solution to man’s need to keep replenishing himself.
References
Bandura, A. (1995). Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
CDC. (2012). About Teenage Pregnancy. CDC. Retrieved October 23, 2012. From http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/aboutteenpreg.htm
Dean, A.L. (1997). Teenage Pregnancy: interaction of psyche and culture. New Jersey: The Analytic Press.
Do Something. (2012). 11 Facts About Teenage Pregnancy. DoSomething.org. Retrieved October 23, 2012. From http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-teen-pregnancy
Drake, J. (Producer) & Reitman, J. (Director). (2007). Juno [Motion Picture]. United States of America: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
IMDB. (n.d.). Jason Reitman Biography. IMDB. Retrieved October 23, 2012. From http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0718646/bio
Lefcourt, H.M. (1982). Locus of Control: current trends in theory and research. New Jersey: Lawrence Erbaum Associates.
Rotten Tomatoes. (2012). Juno. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 23, 2012. From https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/juno/
