"Det är ett kluvet grattis!": en studie om unga mammors föräldraskap ur professionellas perspektiv.

The purpose of this study was to examine parenthood of young mothers from a professional point of view. The professionals work in a medium-sized city in Sweden and they represent different professions to give a broad perspective of the subject. The questions in the study were: What were the advantages of being a young mother of today and were there any problems with being a young mother, from the professionals perspective? What role did young mothers network and family play, from a professional point of view? From a professional point of view, how well did society handle young parenthood? How do the professionals handle the young mothers they met? Studies with reference to professionals' thoughts and expectations of young mothers were few, therefore the professionals were given a central position in this study. A qualitative method was chosen, for this study. The results we present in our study were based on eight individual interviews with professionals. The analysis was based on Bronfenbrenners theory the ecology of human development. The professionals point out advantages of being young mothers, e.g. a more natural and relaxed approach to the child, and more energy than older mothers. On the other hand, young mothers seemed to face financial problems to a greater extent. Young mothers did also struggle to be accepted by society. One of the key findings in this study was that the network around young mothers is very important. The results suggest that in a well-organized social network, young mothers of today will have a better prospect of filling their role as a parent