TEEN PREGNANCY

Teen Pregnancy That Affect Your Community

Teen Pregnancy That Affect Your Community

Teen Pregnancy

Around the world, teen pregnancy rates have declined and currently account for 1 in 10 births. Approximately one-third of these pregnancies are not planned or wanted. Rates of teen pregnancy (out of 1,000 teenage girls) range from 2.9 in South Korea to 143 in sub-Saharan Africa, and in most of Latin America one-third of girls are teenage mothers. Economically impoverished countries like Niger have higher teen pregnancy rates (233 per 1,000), while wealthy countries like Japan have very low rates (4 per 1,000). Poverty is also linked to higher rates within developed countries. For instance, in Italy the poorest area has a rate of 10 per 1,000, while the richest has 3.3 per 1,000; in the United Kingdom, over half of all teen pregnancies occur among the 30 percent most impoverished individuals.

Interpretations of teen pregnancy differ by country and are dependent on cultural norms. In developing countries, there may be no social stigma associated with teen pregnancy, and it usually occurs within marriage. For example, in Niger, 87 percent of girls are married by age 18 and 53 percent of them have given birth by 18. Factors associated with teenage pregnancy in developing countries include early marriage, traditional gender roles, poverty, lack of sex education, and lack of access to safe and reliable contraception and abortion.

Fertility Rates

The average fertility rate worldwide is 2.6 live offspring, with ranges from a low of 1.3 in Europe and Japan to an average over 7 in some African countries. Fertility rates are highest in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In developing countries, there has been increased recognition of the socioeconomic burden of high fertility rates, and population growth is decreasing in some areas. Delayed childbirth and lower fertility rates are associated with increased schooling for girls, access to safe and reliable contraception, increased work opportunities for women, marrying at older ages, and less inventive incentives for several children (including lower infant mortality rates). Fertility is lower in developed countries because women tend to marry later, contraception is widespread and consists of several valid choices, abortion is legal and safe, and many educated women delay having a family to establish their careers first (Bailey, 2004).

Consequences for Pregnancy or Loss

The negative attitudes promoted by the United Kingdom's TPS and other such policies have consequences for teenagers whose pregnancies continue and for those whose pregnancies do not. Although termination and miscarriage are widely perceived as distinct and different issues, the issues become more blurred where younger women are concerned. Prevention of pregnancy appears to get confused with prevention of live births, and this means that both abortion (and miscarriage) can be viewed as positive solutions to the problem of teenage pregnancy and adolescent motherhood. However, the social “gains” of a young woman's termination or miscarriage does not ameliorate the psychological and emotional impact on individuals.

For those whose pregnancies continue, research suggests that perceived and actual prejudice, from some health and social care professionals and other pregnant ...