In the s2 episode of Degrassi Junior High, Eggbert, we see a pregnant Spike (Christine) being given a egg through her pregnant mother’s group. She has to take care of it for two weeks as she would a real baby.
All her school mates are supportive, going so far as to give it a name and paint a face on it. They coo over it like a real baby and offer to take turns baby-sitting so Spike can have some time alone. Basically, everyone rallies around the expectant (teenage) mother.
But when Shane, the father tries to communicate with her, ending up with ‘custody’ of the ‘baby’ for a week, he gets ridiculed, with every joked involving eggs or chickens known to man being thrown at him. The people – especially the girls – who had been supportive of Spike were now ridiculing Shane to the point of cruelty.
I wrote an article some time ago about the attitude we have towards men during pregnancy; basically, they’re a non-entity. This especially resonated with me watching Eggbert. Now, Shane had largely abdicated his responsibilities as far as Spike and their baby was concerned; far enough if her friends treated him with contempt. But the grade-wide ridicule he suffered – especially after the support Spike was given – was as eye-opening as it is ingrained, I’d say.
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