What is Penetrating Gaze

In spite of declining teen birth rates, teenage pregnancy in USA remains the highest amongst the industrialized nations in the world. There appears to be a correlation between teenage pregnancy and the culture of the teenagers within the African-American population. African American teenagers may be influenced by the cultural norms of their community resulting in a cycle of teenage pregnancies over the generations. It is essential to break this cycle by influencing the behavior and perceptions of the teenagers towards early motherhood and pregnancies. Using empirical data from in-depth interviews conducted with school nurses and school counselors and Foucault's disciplinary strategies, this chapter suggests mentoring as a suitable teenage pregnancy preventive measure which might be effective in guiding and shaping the decisions and choices of African American teenagers in their lives.