ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

The Facts

Adolescent Childbearing and Educational and Economic Attainment

Educational attainment and poverty are intricately linked to early childbearing among adolescents. It is important to note that pregnancy occurs among all young women, regardless of socioeconomic status, geographic location race or ethnicity. Statistics show, however, that teen childbearing occurs disproportionately among low-income women. The decision to carry a pregnancy to term and become a parent may be influenced by age, race, ethnicity, culture and religion as well as access to services.

Public perception holds that too-early childbearing leads to increased welfare costs, hopeless futures and a continuing cycle of poverty for adolescent mothers and their children. Many teen mothers come from already disadvantaged backgrounds and too often, early childbearing perpetuates or increases that disadvantage. Many young teen mothers can, however, achieve academic success, have rewarding careers and lead productive and fulfilling lives. To reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy among teens and address the negative consequences associated with early childbearing, it is imperative to provide teens with viable educational and economic opportunities combined with solid family and social support systems.

Teen Birth Patterns

• In 1992, the birth rate for girls 15- to 19-years old was 60.7 births per 1000 girls. This reflects a slight decline from 1991, but a significant increase from the 1987 rate of 50.6.¹
• The bulk of adolescent childbearing occurs to teens age 17 to 19. The birth rate among teens younger than 15 is relatively low.²
• Teen birth rates vary according to race and ethnicity. For example, although the birth rate is quite low, young, African-American teens between the ages of 10 and 14 are seven times more likely to give birth than their white peers.³ Older Hispanic teens, 18- to 19-year-olds, have a birth rate of 147.7 per 1000, compared to 65.9 for their white, non-Hispanic counterparts.⁴

Teen Mothers Often Come from Disadvantaged Backgrounds.

• Teens from poorer families are more likely to initiate sexual intercourse at a younger age and less likely to use contraception.⁵ One study indicates that teens who report depression are more likely to become parents than their peers.⁴
• Despite the popular perception that school dropout rates are due to pregnancy, over 20 percent of teen mothers drop out of school before they become pregnant.¹
• In one study of teen mothers, poverty was a significant predictor of subsequent high school dropout. Hispanic girls were twice as likely to drop out if their family received public assistance. African-Americans and Caucasians showed the same pattern, being respectively 1.5 and 1.2 times less likely to finish school if their families had received public assistance.⁶
• There is evidence of an intergenerational pattern of teen childbearing such that children of teen mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves.⁷ The relationship is particularly strong within the African-American community.⁸
• The intergenerational linkage of teen births points to the strong effects of the socioeconomic environment and family instability, both emotional and financial, in determining early childbearing.⁸
• In a study of children of teen mothers, 17 percent had become teen parents: 25 percent of the females and 11 percent of the males. Also, 50 percent were sexually active before age 14, and 41 percent were having sexual intercourse without contraception on a regular basis.⁴

Teen Childbearing May Reduce Educational and Economic Attainment.

• Studies show a significant relationship between teen childbearing and decreased educational attainment.^10,11 According to one study, early childbearing reduced schooling by one to three years.³
• Teen mothers have approximately a 60 percent chance of graduating from high school by age 25, compared to 90 percent of those who postpone childbearing.¹²
• For Hispanic female teens, avoiding pregnancy is the single most important factor in determining high school graduation.¹⁵
• White, non-Hispanic female teens who have a child before age 18 complete an average of 11 years of schooling; postponing childbirth until age 18 or 19 increases the average to 11.5 years. Those who postpone childbearing until age 20 are more likely to complete some college education.¹³
• African-American and Hispanic adolescents follow a similar pattern with African-Americans completing slightly more schooling than white, non-Hispanics, while Hispanics complete slightly less.¹³
• Among dropouts, teen women who have children are much less likely to return to school.¹⁴
• Non-parenting, white, non-Hispanic teens are five to eight times more likely to attend college than their parenting peers.¹³
• African-American and Hispanic teens who delay childbearing until age 20 are three to five times more likely to attend college as are their counterparts who do not delay childbirth.¹³
• In one study, 54 percent of teen mothers were high school graduates. Researchers found that if all births had been delayed until age 20, high school completion rates would have risen to 86.4 percent.¹⁵
• In addition to lower educational status, early childbearing has an impact on the economic status of teens by affecting employment opportunities, marital options and family structure.¹⁶
• A study of teen mothers revealed that those who have more children receive less financial aid from their families.⁹
• One quarter of teen mothers live below the poverty level.¹⁷
• Across all ethnic groups, delaying birth by one year leads to a significant improvement in subsequent economic viability.¹⁶
• For an African American family in which the mother began childbearing before age 16, the average income is only 96 percent of the poverty level. This rises to 236 percent if she is 26 to 27 years of age when her first child is born and to 275 percent if she postpones childbearing past age 27.¹⁸

Early Childbearing May Be Delayed with Education and a Supportive Environment.

• Young women who are encouraged to question traditional gender roles and those who have high educational aspirations are more likely to avoid teen pregnancy.¹⁴
• Teens who have healthy parent-child communication, high self-esteem and high educational aspirations are more likely to postpone childbearing.¹⁹
• For every additional year of school, African-American women delayed first birth by more than a year while white, non-Hispanic women and Hispanic women delayed childbearing for nearly a year.⁸
• A more positive attitude toward school has been significantly related to fewer non-marital births.¹⁴
• One study found that 50 percent of teens who decide to carry the pregnancy had repeated a grade, as opposed to only 34 percent who chose an abortion.¹³
• A follow-up study of teen mothers found that 20 years later 82 percent were self-supporting.²⁰

References

1. Upchurch DM. Early schooling and childbearing experiences: Implications for postsecondary school attendance. Journal of Research on Adolescent Health;3:423-443.
2. Ventura SJ, Martin JA, Taffel SM, Matthews JJ, Clark SC et al. Advance report of final nasality statistics, 1992. Monthly Vital Stat Rep 1994;43(5 Supp):1-88.
3. Leland NL, Peterson DJ, Braddock M, Alexander GR. Variations in pregnancy outcomes by race among 10-14 year-old mothers in the United States. Public Health Reports 1995;110:53-58.
4. Horwitz SM, Klerman LV, Kuo HS, Jekel JF. Intergenerational transmission  of school-age parenthood FPP 1991;23:168-172,177.
5. Forrest JD, Singh S. The sexual and reproductive behavior of American women, 1982-1988. FPP 1990;22:206-214.
6. Forste R, Tienda M. Race and ethnic variation in the schooling consequences of female adolescent sexual activity. Social Science Quarterly 1992;73:12-30.
7. Zabin LS. Addressing adolescent sexual behavior and childbearing: self-esteem or social change? Women's Health Issues 1994; 4:92-97.
8. Kahn JR, Anderson KE. Intergenerational patterns of teenage fertility. Demography 1992;29:39-57.
9. Parish WL, Hao L, Hogan DP. Family support networks, welfare, and work among young mothers. J Marriage Fam 1991;53:203-215.
10. Ventura SJ, Taffel SM, Masher WD, Henshaw S. Trends in pregnancies and pregnancy rates, United States. 1980-1988. Monthly Vital Stat Report 1992;41(6,supp).
11. Ventura SJ, Martin JA, Taffel SM, Mathews TJ, Clarke SC. Advance report of final natality statistics, 1992. Monthly Vital Stat Report 1994;43(5,supp).
12. Leland NL, Petersen DJ, Braddock M, Alexander GR. Childbearing patterns: Among selected racial/ethnic minority groups—United States. 1990. MMWR 1993;22:206-214.
13. Klepinger DH, Lundberg S, Plotnick RD. Adolescent fertility and the educational attainment of young women. FPP 1995;27:23-28.
14. Plotnick RD, Butler SS. Attitudes and adolescent nonmarital childbearing: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. J Adol Research 1991;6:470-492.
15. Marsiglio W. Adolescent males' orientation toward paternity and contraception. FPP 1993;25:22-31.
16. Moore KA, Myers D, Morrison DR, Nord CW, Brown B. Teenage childbearing and poverty. Paper presented at NICHD Conference May 18-19, 1992.
17. Hoffman SD, Foster EM, Furstenberg FF. Reevaluating the costs of teenage childbearing. Demography 1993;30:1-13.
18. Moore KA, Myers DE, Morrison DR, Nord CW, Brown B. Age at firstchildbirth and later poverty. Journal of Research on Adolescence 1993;3:393-422.
19. Leland NL and Barth RP. Characteristics of adolescents who have attempted to avoid HIV and who have communicated with parents about sex. J Adol Research 1993;8:58-76.
20. Horwitz SM, Klerman LV, Kuo HS, Jekel JF. School-age mothers: Predictors of long-term educational and economic outcomes. Pediatrics 1991;53:203-215.

Compiled by Shelby Pasarell
October 1995 © Advocates for Youth

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