Predictors of long-term educational and economic outcomes. October 1995 Permission is hereby granted to quote with credit. For reprints, please call. 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.