This paper examines two aspects of teen childbearing in the United States. First, it reviews and synthesizes the evidence on the reasons why teen birth rates are so uniquely high in the United States and especially in some states. Second, it considers why and how it matters. We argue that economists' typical explanations are unable to account for…

Can the use of a method such as role play help reduce sexual risk behaviour among KwaZulu-Natal learners? A study was undertaken of the use of role plays by Grade 8 learners, at eight urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal high schools, as part of a programme to reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancy. Within the framework of Bandura's Social Cognitive…

Using data on low-income mothers in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, we test three propositions regarding mothers' attitudes toward childbearing, marriage, and divorce. These are drawn from K. Edin and M. J. Kefalas (2005) but have also arisen in other recent studies. We find strong support for the proposition that childbearing outside of…

The promotion of marriage and two-parent families became an explicit public policy goal with the passage of the 1996 welfare reform bill. Marriage has the putative effect of reducing welfare dependency among single mothers, but only if they marry men with earnings sufficient to lift them and their children out of poverty. Newly released data from…

Many studies document a clear relationship between the supply of marriageable men and marriage rates, but not many studies find that the supply of marriageable men affects the number of women who choose to be single mothers. A model is presented to address the issue.

We apply marital search theory to examine whether out-of-wedlock childbearing affects mate selection patterns among American women. Using 1980-1995 CPS data, we apply probit models with selection to account for potential selection bias due to differences in "marriageability" between women in and not in unions. Compared to those without unmarried…

This document reports on the feasibility of requiring private insurance carriers to provide coverage of the pregnancy-related expenses of dependent minors and newborn care expenses of their offspring in Texas. The document relates the history of legislative interest in the topic of teenage pregnancy. The report states that although private medical…

Adolescent pregnancy is examined from 2 viewpoints: (1) the marital status of young adolescent girls who become mothers at a too young age is less relevant to the social problem of adolescent pregnancy than the attendant adverse effects, i.e., adolescent pregnancy, per se, rather than illegitimacy is the social problem; and (2) too early marriage…

Measured self-esteem of 93 unmarried adolescent females upon entry into several state-sponsored training programs. Discovered significant differences concerning the impact of early motherhood on subjects. Symbolic importance of motherhood, as a passage into adult status, and intervening effects of normative group anchorage may mediate between…

A hearing before the Subcommittee on Select Education of the House Committee on Education and Labor is transcribed. A discussion is presented which centers on H.R.12146, whose purposes are: (1) to establish a program for developing networks of community-based services to prevent initial and repeat pregnancies among adolescents; (2) to provide care…

Two of the most significant changes affecting U.S. society during the 20th century were transformations in family structure and the transition from a nonmetropolitan/farm society to a largely metropolitan society. In this study, classic sociological theory, developed to understand differences between metro and nonmetro society, was employed.…

The promotion of marriage and two-parent families as a strategy to reduce welfare dependency continues to be a major public policy goal of the 1996 welfare reform. Based on the assumption that women will marry employed men and that their earnings will lift poor mothers and their children from public dependency, this objective raises important…

To identify replicable homogeneous subgroups among three samples of unwed mothers a multivariate clustering technique was employed to analyze the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) responses of unwed mothers giving up their babies for adoption (Ns=122 and 127) and unwed mothers keeping their babies (N=47). Three personality…

Pregnancy among single college women is cause for much concern. This article suggests that the college should take the initiative in offering help and in seeking new ways of prevention. Institutions should provide medical care, counseling, and educational programs in an atmosphere of understanding, compassion, and trust. (Author/BY)