Pregnancy Statistics Teens
From LoveToKnow Pregnancy
A Growing Epidemic
Pregnancy statistics for teens show that over 800,000 teenage girls become pregnant each year. In fact, 34% of women have been pregnant at least once by the time they reach their twentieth birthday. Although 78% of these pregnancies are unplanned, 22% were intentional. While teen pregnancy is a problem in many parts of the world, the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among developed countries. In any given year, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is double that of Canada and nearly four times that of Germany and France.
Why is the U.S. teen pregnancy rate so high? Some people blame the highly sexualized images children see on television and in their favorite movies. Others believe it’s a lack of effective sex education. While most experts agree teen pregnancy can be attributed to a number of factors, effective contraception remains crucial in the fight against this complex social issue. A sexually active teenage girl who does not use regular contraception has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within one year.
Pregnancy Statistics on Teens Show Consequences
Some of the challenges of being a teenage mother are reflected in pregnancy statistics on teens. While nearly 50% of all teenage pregnancies end in abortion, there are many girls who decide to keep their babies. These young moms face many challenges. They often have little or no job skills. In many cases, the child’s father is either missing or unable to provide the proper financial support. Although many teen moms receive assistance from their own parents, a large number must learn to care for their children with little or no outside help.
Teen moms often find the responsibilities of parenthood to be overwhelming. They struggle to finish their education; only 30% of teenage mothers have a high school diploma by the age of 30. Many teen moms discover that their babies place a strain on fragile friendships. Teenage mothers are at a higher risk of developing depression. Some even say they feel anger and resentment towards their infants.
Consequences for Children of Teenage Mothers
Pregnancy statistics about teens show only part of the picture. Other measurements show that children who are born to teenage mothers are immediately placed at a greater risk of developing many physical, social, and behavioral problems. For example, most teenage mothers lack a basic understanding of proper prenatal care. Since many pregnant teens are also still developing physically, this means that they are much more likely to have premature babies. Preterm and/or low birth weight babies often have developmental disabilities or chronic medical conditions that require regular physical therapy.
As they mature, children of teen mothers must still overcome many obstacles. For example, boys born to mothers under the age of 19 are 13% more likely to be incarcerated at some point in their lives. Daughters of teen moms are over 20% more likely to have their own children at a young age. Children of both sexes have lower standardized test scores and are less likely to earn their high school diplomas.
Consequences for Society
No matter what pregnancy statistics on teens you review, it’s obvious that this problem has massive financial consequences. In fact, one recent study suggested that teen pregnancy costs the U.S. over $7 billion per year.
Nearly 80 percent of teen mothers rely on governmental assistance to help support their children. They may receive FIP, Medicaid, and/or food stamps. They may be enrolled in job training programs or receive subsidized childcare so they can attend work.
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