This book analyses why and in what circumstances teenage women become mothers. In a radical departure from existing studies in this area, Ann Phoenix does not condemn early motherhood as a problem, but focuses on both positive and negative aspects of these women's experiences.

A central part of the author's analysis are first-hand accounts by women who have become mothers before the age of twenty. Among other areas, Phoenix discusses the women's attitudes towards their pregnancy, towards men and marriage, and towards the social services upon which many young mothers rely. She also examines how the concept of teenage motherhood has been socially constructed and contrasts many of society's negative conceptions with the women's own personal perceptions and experiences.