Teen Mothers: Selected Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Risk Factors

Abstract:
This report provides social and demographic information about teen mothers, describing trends in birth rates for teens, providing a profile of teen mothers, and identifying factors that may influence the likelihood of teen motherhood. Although the birth rate for teenage women decreased 41% from the late 1950s to 1995, births to unmarried teenage mothers (as a proportion of total teen births) more than quintupled over the same period. As of 1995, the teen birth rate was about 57 per thousand; the birth rates for black and Hispanic teenage women were more than twice those for white teens. In 1995, nearly half of teen mothers were white and most were aged 18 to 19 and unmarried. About two-thirds of recent teen mothers did not intend to get married or have a child, and about one-fifth of women who gave birth already had at least one child. Teenage mothers also graduate from high school at lower rates than all teen women. Research examining the antecedents of teen motherhood has found that limited involvement in school and some family background characteristics--such as family instability and declines in family income--are associated with an increased likelihood of teen motherhood. The effects of most other actors vary among racial and ethnic groups; effects of various factors are described for white, black, and Hispanic teens. This report makes effective use of charts and graphs to provide a clear, concise overview of characteristics of teen mothers.

Author(s): LILLIE-BLANTON, Marsha


Date Published: 6/1/1998

Comments:
This is report #GAO/HEHS-98-141. The first copy of each GAO report is free, and additional copies are $2 each. Orders for 100 or more copies to a single address are discounted 25%.

Location Code: 8273