Teenage parents juggle studies, work, family

“I’m a student, a worker, and a mother. Sometimes, I feel like I have three bodies.”

For one Filipino teenager, motherhood meant balancing school, work and childcare while navigating adolescence and the responsibilities of raising a child.

Her experience reflects findings from an Ateneo de Manila University study that used photographs, through a research method called photovoice, to explore how teenage parents navigate the transition to parenthood.

Teenage pregnancy remains a pressing concern in the Philippines, with an estimated 150,000 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2022 and a 35 percent increase in births among girls younger than 15.

The study, published in the August 2026 issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence, placed teenage mothers and fathers at the center of research intended to help develop a parenting program for young parents.

Researchers Nina Linly Capulong, Liane Peña Alampay, Bernice Landoy Mamauag and Jennel Drezza Fe C. Reyes worked with Masayang Pamilya Organization Inc. to gather insights from nine teenage parents aged 15 to 20 in low-income communities in two Central Luzon provinces.

Participants took or selected photographs representing their experiences, then shared the stories behind them. Without formal photography lessons, they used familiar images to express complex emotions and circumstances. Crayons, for instance, symbolized family, while a permanent marker represented the lasting effects of sexual interactions.

Their photographs revealed lives shaped by relationship conflicts, changing friendships and family dynamics, and the challenge of raising children while pursuing education or employment.

The researchers identified eight themes, including relationship stress, peer support, family tensions, changing adolescent priorities, the strain of balancing responsibilities, the desire to improve parenting skills, environmental influences on early sexual exposure and sexual knowledge gained through social media.