Teenage pregnancy in the United States occurs mostly unintentionally [1] and out of wedlock [2] [3] but has been declining almost continuously since the 1990s. [1] [4] [5] In 2022, the teenage birth rate fell to 13.5 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, the lowest on record. [6] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this decline is due to abstinence and the use of contraception. [7] [3]
The averages conceal significant ethnic or geographic differences within the US. [8] The birth rates for Hispanic and African-American teens were more than double those of European-American teens, [9] while Asian-American adolescents have the lowest pregnancy and birth rates of all. [3] As of 2015, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi had the highest adolescent birth rates in the Union. (See map.)
Since 2012, the birth rate of American girls aged 15 to 19 has fallen below the OECD average, though it still remains above that of many other industrialized nations. [10] As of 2024, the rate of decline has faltered. [11]
Teen pregnancy is defined as pregnancies in girls under the age of 20, regardless of marital status. [12]
According to Child Trends research institute, prevalence of teen birth in the United States has plummeted between the early 1990s and 2020s. [4] [5] Teenage birth rates, as opposed to just pregnancies, peaked in 1991, when there were 61.8 births per 1,000 teens. [13] In 2014, 249,078 babies were born to girls 15 to 19 years of age, corresponding to a birth rate of 24.2 per 1,000 girls. [12] In 2016, three in ten American girls fell pregnant before age 20, corresponding to almost 750,000 pregnancies a year. [14]
In 2016, 89% of teenage births occurred outside of marriage. [15] In 2008, 16% of all girls became teen mothers. [16] Among girls 15 to 19, birth rates fell 77% between the 1990s and 2020s. [10] In 2016, researchers from the Guttmacher Institute were able to show that the fall in teenage birthrates is likely not due to terminated pregnancies. The number of abortions remained the same or decreased in all U.S. states except for Vermont. [1]
In 2010, an estimated 60% pregnancies to adolescent females ended in live birth, 15% ended in miscarriage, and 30% in abortion. [15] The number of hospital stays for teen pregnancies decreased by 47 percent from 2000 to 2012, when there were 104,700 maternal hospital stays for pregnant teens. [17] Most of the adolescents who give birth are over the age of 18. For example, in 2008, 6.6 pregnancies occurred per 1,000 teens aged 13–14. In other words, fewer than 1% of teens younger than 15 became pregnant in 2008. [18]
Contemporary teenagers are becoming better at avoiding pregnancies by abstinence or by using contraception. [3] [19] A CDC analysis found that the rates of teens using a long-acting and reversible method of contraception, such as an intrauterine device (IUD), jumped from 0.4% in 2005 to 7.1% in 2013. [3] Adolescents are also less likely get married at their age. [20] In 2006, nearly 80% of teenage fathers did not marry the teenage mothers of their children. [21]
In a 2013 study, most female teens reported that they would be very upset (58%) or a little upset (29%) if they got pregnant, while the remaining 13% reported that they would be a little or very pleased. [18] Most male teens reported that they would be very upset (47%) or a little upset (34%) if they got someone pregnant, while the remaining 18% reported that they would be a little or very pleased. [18]
Girls who were cohabiting, poorly educated, drug abusers, alcoholics, and came from low-income or unstable households were at the highest risks of unintentional pregnancies. [22] [23] [24] Teenage fathers have 10-15% lower annual earnings than teenagers who do not father children. [21] According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than four out of five, or 80%, of teenage pregnancies are unintended. [22]
In 2002, according to the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, approximately 15% of all adolescent pregnancies were planned. Based upon interviews conducted with pregnant teenagers, there are particular themes based upon wants and needs. Some of the wants expressed by teens includes, "(a) the desire to be or be perceived as more grown up, with increased responsibility, independence and maturity; (b) a long history of desiring pregnancy and the maternal role; c) never having had anything to call their own and wanting something to care for and love and (d) the pregnancy was the natural next step in their life or their relationship with their boyfriend." [25]
In 2016, Black, Latino, and Native-American youth had the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and childbirth. [12] In 2014, For every 1,000 black boys in the United States, 29 of them are teenage fathers, compared to 14 per 1,000 white boys. [18] The rate of teen fatherhood declined 36% between 1991 and 2010, from 25 to 16 per 1,000 males aged 15–19. This decline was more substantial among blacks than among whites (50% vs. 26%) and about half of the rate among teen girls. [18] Studies in 2008 and 2013 indicated that Asians (23 per 1,000) and whites (43 per 1,000) have lower rates of pregnancy before the age of 20. [16] [18]
Teen birth rates decline by racial groups [8]
Teen birth rates declined from 2018 to 2019 for several racial groups and for Hispanics.Among 15- to 19-year-olds, teen birth rates decreased:
Rates for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander teenagers were unchanged.
In 2019, the birth rates for Hispanic teens (25.3 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic Black teens (25.8 per 1,000) were more than two times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White teens (11.4 per 1,000). The birth rate of American Indian/Alaska Native teens (29.2 per 1,000) was highest among all race/ethnicities.
In 2013, the lowest birth rates were reported in the Northeast. The highest rates were located in the Southeast. [15]
US State | Pregnancy rate (per 1000) | Birthrate | Abortion rate | % Abortion rate excluding stillborns and miscarriages |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 62 | 32 | 9 | 17 |
Alaska | 64 | 27.8 | 17 | 30 |
Arizona | 60 | 29.9 | 9 | 18 |
Arkansas | 73 | 39.5 | 9 | 14 |
California | 59 | 21.1 | 19 | 38 |
Colorado | 50 | 20.3 | 10 | 20 |
Connecticut | 44 | 11.5 | 20 | 52 |
Delaware | 15 | 20.7 | 28 | 47 |
Washington, D.C. | 90 | 28.4 | 32 | 41 |
Florida | 60 | 22.5 | 19 | 38 |
Georgia | 64 | 28.4 | 13 | 24 |
Hawaii | 65 | 23.1 | 23 | 42 |
Idaho | 47 | 23.2 | 7 | 17 |
Illinois | 57 | 22.8 | 15 | 32 |
Indiana | 53 | 28 | 7 | 16 |
Iowa | 44 | 19.8 | 9 | 23 |
Kansas | 53 | 27.6 | 5 | 12 |
Kentucky | 62 | 35.3 | 6 | 12 |
Louisiana | 69 | 35.8 | 10 | 18 |
Maine | 37 | 16.5 | 10 | 31 |
Maryland | 57 | 17.8 | 22 | 45 |
Massachusetts | 37 | 10.6 | 14 | 46 |
Michigan | 52 | 21.1 | 14 | 32 |
Minnesota | 36 | 15.5 | 8 | 25 |
Mississippi | 76 | 38 | 9 | 14 |
Missouri | 54 | 27.2 | 9 | 19 |
Montana | 53 | 26.4 | 10 | 21 |
Nebraska | 43 | 22.2 | 5 | 14 |
Nevada | 68 | 28.5 | 20 | 34 |
New Hampshire | 28 | 11 | 8 | 35 |
New Jersey | 51 | 13.1 | 24 | 55 |
New Mexico | 80 | 37.8 | 15 | 22 |
New York | 63 | 16.1 | 32 | 58 |
North Carolina | 59 | 25.9 | 12 | 24 |
North Dakota | 42 | 23.9 | 6 | 18 |
Ohio | 54 | 25.1 | 12 | 25 |
Oklahoma | 69 | 38.5 | 8 | 13 |
Oregon | 47 | 19.3 | 12 | 29 |
Pennsylvania | 49 | 13.8 | 15 | 35 |
Rhode Island | 44 | 15.8 | 16 | 41 |
South Carolina | 65 | 28.5 | 13 | 23 |
South Dakota | 47 | 26.2 | 4 | 11 |
Tennessee | 62 | 33 | 9 | 18 |
Texas | 73 | 37.8 | 9 | 15 |
Utah | 38 | 19.4 | 4 | 13 |
Vermont | 32 | 14.2 | 9 | 34 |
Virginia | 48 | 18.4 | 14 | 33 |
Washington | 49 | 19.1 | 16 | 37 |
West Virginia | 64 | 36.6 | 9 | 17 |
Wisconsin | 39 | 18 | 7 | 21 |
Wyoming | 56 | 30.1 | 8 | 17 |
In 2008, about 25% of teenage mothers had a second child within 24 months of the first birth. [27]
Parenting as a teenager has detrimental effects on the parents as well as the children. Pregnant teenage girls tend to gain less weight than older mothers, due to the fact that they are still growing and competing for nutrients with the baby during the pregnancy. [28] Teenage parents are considerably more likely to drop out of high school in order to work. [14] [29] [30] This is because child-rearing is expensive and requires a lot of attention, and the typical teenager is unable to handle the responsibilities of schoolwork, earning a living, and childcare. [30]
After becoming parents at such an early age, these teenagers often find themselves socially isolated from their peers. [30] Following the Great Recession of the late 2000s, young people take longer to gain financial independence than their counterparts three decades ago. It is much harder for teenage parents to be able to support a family compared to the past, due to the competitive work environment. [20]
Children born to teenage parents are more likely to be born prematurely, to do poorly at school, to live in poverty, and to suffer higher rates of relationship abuse. [27] They tend to repeat the cycle of early childbearing out of wedlock, and early marriage of their parents. [31] The sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up incarcerated, and the daughters of teenage mothers are 22% more likely to become teenage mothers. [27] More than 25% of teen mothers live in poverty during their 20s. [21]
Some high schools in the United States offer a program for pregnant and parenting teens to continue their education. [32]
A 2007 study found that when teen parents stay in school after being pregnant, they have a better chance of graduating high school. [33] In 2016, less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30. [14] Many of these programs offer on-campus childcare. Some require the pregnant and parenting teens to attend parenting classes or practicum classes. The parenting classes offer a place for these young parents to learn about the basic needs of a child. The practical classes offer a hands on experience caring for the children in the childcare center.
The United States has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in developed countries. [34] The two primary reasons given by teenagers for not using protection is that the chance of becoming pregnant is small, and the failure to anticipate intercourse. [35]
The best method of reducing the consequences of teenage parenthood is by providing reproductive health services to prevent teenagers from becoming pregnant in the first place. [20] Prevention can be beneficial on a micro level and on a more macro scale. Nationally, teen pregnancies cost tax payers an average of $9.4 billion each year. [12] These costs are associated with health care, foster care, criminal justice, public assistance and lost tax revenue. [27]
Teen pregnancies can be prevented by increasing access and education on the proper use of contraceptives, [22] as well as parental involvement. The best method of prevention is to integrate sex and STD education into the middle and high school science curriculum, as well as addressing the effects of teenage pregnancies in the social studies curriculum.
In a 2007 study by the American Journal of Public Health, the US pregnancy rate can be predicted by analyzing two indexes, the contraceptive risk index and the overall pregnancy risk index. [36] Using these indexes with previous adolescent pregnancy data, 77% of the decline in pregnancy risk was attributed to contraceptive use. The conclusion from this studies and others, is that improved contraceptive use and teachings is responsible for the decline.
There are large differences in adolescent pregnancy rates among developed nations like Canada, France, Great Britain, Sweden and the United States. The United States has the highest number of teen pregnancies and the highest number of sexually transmitted infections compared to the other four countries. [37]
In France and Sweden during the late 1990s, pregnancies were 20 per 1,000 girls at ages 15–19. [37] In Canada and Great Britain the levels were twice that. In the United States, the level was 4 times as high, with 84 per 1,000 teenage girls pregnant. The likelihood of pregnant teenage girls having abortions across the four countries differ and exclude miscarriages. In the U.S. abortion rates for 15–19 years are 35%, compared to 69% in Sweden, 39% in Great Britain, 46% in Canada, and 51% in France. [37]
The quality of sex education varies across the U.S, with some states offering more comprehensive education than others. 39 states require "some" education related to sexuality. 25 states are required by law to teach sex and HIV education. 17 states only require the teaching of STIs. 20 states require provision of information on contraception. 39 states are required to provide information on abstinence. Eleven states have no requirement. [38]
In a 2014 paper, economists Melissa S. Kearney and Phillip B. Levine, both fellows of the Brookings Institution, were able to show that popular TV programs depicting the reality of teenage parenthood, such as MTV's 16 and Pregnant and its sequels ( Teen Mom , Teen Mom 2 , Teen Mom 3 , Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant), have played a significant role in the reduction of teenage childbearing. [39] The girls who watched any one of these shows also reported being able to predict the behaviors and intentions that result in teenage pregnancy. [40]
Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexualityeducation or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, and birth control, sexual health, reproductive health, emotional relations and responsibilities, age of consent, and reproductive rights. Sex education that includes all of these issues is known as comprehensive sexuality education, and, especially in more socially conservative countries and parts of the United States, is often opposed to abstinence-only sex education, which only focuses on sexual abstinence. Sex education may be provided as part of school programs, public health campaigns, or by parents or caregivers. In some countries it is known as "Relationships and Sexual Health Education".
Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female and trans male adolescent under the age of 20.
Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marital situation, career or work considerations, financial situations. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.
Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. Since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, it has become accepted by certain liberal movements, especially in Western countries. A 2014 Pew study on global morality found that premarital sex was considered particularly unacceptable in "Muslim Majority Countries", such as Malaysia, Jordan and Pakistan, each having over 90% disapproval, while people in Western European countries were the most accepting, with Spain, Germany, and France expressing less than 10% disapproval.
Birth rate, also known as natality, is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population for a given period divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; population counts from a census, and estimation through specialized demographic techniques. The birth rate is used to calculate population growth. The estimated average population may be taken as the mid-year population.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, health care, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual well-being during all stages of their life. Sexual and reproductive health is more commonly defined as sexual and reproductive health and rights, to encompass individual agency to make choices about their sexual and reproductive lives.
Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches not having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and reproductive health education, such as birth control and safe sex. In contrast, comprehensive sex education covers the use of birth control and sexual abstinence.
Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.
The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups.
Western and non-Western countries have distinctly different rates of teenage pregnancy. In Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, teen parents tend to be unmarried, and adolescent pregnancy is seen as a social issue.
Teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom refers to the rate at which people under 20 fall pregnant in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the rate of teenage conceptions in the United Kingdom was 5.226% percent of total conceptions, whereas 2.199% of all live births in the United Kingdom were to mothers under 20 years of age. The rate of teenage pregnancy is relatively high when compared with other developed countries; the only other Western countries with higher teenage pregnancy rates are the United States and New Zealand. A report in 2002 found that around half of all conceptions to under-18s were concentrated among the 30% most economically deprived population, with only 14% occurring among the 30% least deprived.
Teenage marriage is the union of two adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19. Many factors contribute to teenage marriage, such as love, teenage pregnancy, religion, security, wealth, family, peer pressure, arranged marriage, economic and/or political reasons, social advancement, and cultural reasons. Studies have shown that teenage married couples are often disadvantaged, may come from broken homes, may have little education, and work in low-status jobs and lead a poor economic life in comparison with those that marry after adolescence.
Unintended pregnancies are pregnancies that are mistimed or unwanted at the time of conception, also known as unplanned pregnancies.
16 and Pregnant is an American reality television series that aired from June 11, 2009, to July 1, 2014, on the cable channel MTV. It followed the stories of pregnant teenage girls in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregnancy. Each episode featured a different teenage girl, with the episode typically beginning when she is 4+1⁄2 – 8 months into her pregnancy. The episode typically ends when the baby is a few months old. The series is produced in a documentary format, with an animation on notebook paper showing highlights during each episode preceding the commercial breaks. 16 and Pregnant has spawned five spin-off series: Teen Mom, Teen Mom 2, Teen Mom 3, Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant, and 16 and Recovering, which premiered on September 1, 2020.
In the United States, sex education is taught in two main forms: comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only as part of the Adolescent Family Life Act, or AFLA. Comprehensive sex education is also called abstinence-based, abstinence-plus, abstinence-plus-risk-reduction, and sexual risk reduction sex education. This approach covers abstinence as a choice option, but also informs adolescents about age of consent and the availability of contraception and techniques to avoid contraction of sexually transmitted infections. Every state within the U.S. has a mandated AIDS Education Program.
Both the Guttmacher Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regularly report abortion statistics in the United States. They use different methodologies, so they report somewhat different abortion rates, but they show similar trends. The Guttmacher Institute attempts to contact every abortion provider. The CDC relies on voluntary reporting of abortion data from the states and the District of Columbia. As of July 2022, the Guttmacher Institute had reported abortion data for the years 1973 through 2020 and the CDC had reported abortion data for the years 1970 through 2019.
Pregnancy when coupled with domestic violence is a form of intimate partner violence (IPV) where health risks may be amplified. Abuse during pregnancy, whether physical, verbal or emotional, produces many adverse physical and psychological effects for both the mother and fetus. Domestic violence during pregnancy is categorized as abusive behavior towards a pregnant woman, where the pattern of abuse can often change in terms of severity and frequency of violence. Abuse may be a long-standing problem in a relationship that continues after a woman becomes pregnant or it may commence in pregnancy. Although female-to-male partner violence occurs in these settings, the overwhelming form of domestic violence is perpetrated by men against women. Pregnancy provides a unique opportunity for healthcare workers to screen women for domestic violence though a recent review found that the best way in which to do this is unclear. Reducing domestic violence in pregnancy should improve outcomes for mothers and babies though more good quality studies are needed to work out effective ways of screening pregnant women.
Reproductive coercion is a collection of behaviors that interfere with decision-making related to reproductive health. These behaviors are meant to maintain power and control related to reproductive health by a current, former, or hopeful intimate or romantic partner, but they can also be perpetrated by parents or in-laws. Coercive behaviors infringe on individuals' reproductive rights and reduce their reproductive autonomy.
Teenage pregnancy is a girl between the ages of 13 and 19 becoming pregnant. The term used in everyday speech usually refers to girls who have not yet reached legal adulthood, which in Australia is anyone under the age of 18. At the national level, the teenage birth rate has declined in the last decade. The rate was about 16 babies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 years between 2011 and 2012 but this had fallen to 11.9 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2015, the lowest figure on record. Terminations can be performed up until the 12-week mark. About half of all teenage pregnancies are terminated in Australia.
Adolescent sexuality has been a topic observed and studied within the United Kingdom throughout the 20th century and in the 21st century. Associated organisations have been established to study and monitor trends and statistics as well as provide support and guidance to adolescents.
Saenz said the program, which follows a TEA curriculum, reaches out to girls and boys from middle school to high school who are facing a pregnancy to educate them about the parenting process, resources, federal programs and continuing their education.
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