A 19-Year-Old Supporting Her Large Family: How Much Burden Is Too Much?

Good morning, everyone. I recently had a conversation with a young woman I know through my work, and it has left me deeply concerned. She told me she urgently needs money to travel for the burial of a close relative. She also said that her siblings regularly pressure her for financial support because she is the first child. I had assumed she was about 22 to 24 years old, but she told me she is 19. She is the eldest of 10 children, although two have died, and her mother is 42. She said she began working in sex work around age 17, possibly because of the responsibility of helping to provide for her siblings. I was too shocked to continue the conversation. How does a 19-year-old become responsible for such a large family? What do you think about the pressure placed on first children to support their parents and younger siblings?

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