Teenage pregnancy's economic and social impacts in Western societies

Teenage pregnancy is one of the most pressing issues facing the United States and indeed the world today. In the developed world, young mothers who are faced with unplanned parenthood are an increasing strain on the economy. Generally these young women leave high school before they obtain their diploma. The majority of them raise their children as single parents and rely heavily on the welfare system. It tends to be a life of hardship not only for the mothers involved but also for their children. The economic strain on households where the mother is very young as well as unable to rise above her economic circumstances also impacts upon the psychological health of both the mother and the baby. Teenage pregnancy therefore has particular and dire impacts upon the economy, the welfare system, and the mother's ability to provide a good home for her child; for this reason, many feel that the problem should be addressed from a preventative viewpoint.

Impact on the United States Economy

According to Popenoe (1998, p. 1), teenage pregnancy is not an unusual phenomenon in history or in non-developed social cultures. Girls who become sexually mature were considered as instruments to build the next generation, and were married as soon as they were ready to do so. The author notes that this is still the case in many parts of the developing world. The difference between cultures where this is the norm and those where it is not, is not only the level of development. It is also the social structure that allows for the viability, or not, of teenage pregnancies.

Popenoe (1998, p. 1) points out that, in more traditional cultures, teenagers who become pregnant are generally supported by the social structure. In addition to her husband, the girl is also surrounded by close family members in the form of her mother, aunts, grandmothers, friends, and a social structure that will help her raise the child. This is not the case in Westernized countries, where the economy and social structure has developed to have a generally isolating effect. This effect has also led to prejudice against those who are considered to be outside the norm, or who are considered to have a negative effect upon the well-being of the rest. This is generally based upon the expectation that women are expected to become economically active and secure before they have children. With equality in the workplace, women and men enter the workforce at about the same rate. Because teenage mothers will be unable to enter the workforce at a very high level, the impact upon their household economy will be great, while the cost to the nation is also significant.

According to Popenoe (1998, p. 1), the United States has a particularly high rate of teenage pregnancies when compared to other nations. Popenoe refers to it as an "urgent national problem." These mothers need support, and the economy and society of the United States is poorly equipped to provide this in a way that is anywhere near adequate.

The situation ten years after Popenoe's writing looks little better: Birth rates to teenage mothers in the United States in 2007 rose for the second year in a row, after nearly 15 years of continuous decline (March of Dimes, 2009). The United States till holds the position as the country with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies of most developed countries.

In addition to the concern for the mothers' and children's health and well-being, the United States economy also suffers from the need to take care of these young women and their babies.

The strain upon the U.S. economy presented by teenage mothers who are not economically viable is perhaps bets indicated by the effect of teenage parenthood upon the welfare system and its ability to provide them with adequate care, support, and representation.

Health Care

Pregnant teenagers can also have a dire effect on the health care system, since they are at greater risk of pregnancy complications such as premature labor, anemia, and high blood pressure. The younger the mother, the higher the risk of these complications. This means specialized care for young people who are often either uninsured or only partially insured under their parents' care. If these young girls have been alienated by their families, they are obliged to rely on the already burdened public health care system (March of Dimes, 2009).

Another health risk that affects both mothers and infants is the higher likelihood of sexually transmitted infections in teenagers who engage in unprotected sex. Conditions like Chlamydia, Syphilis, and HIV are conditions that affect more than 9 million young people between 15 to 24, including those who fall pregnant as a result of unprotected sex (March of Dimes, 2009).

Teenage Pregnancy and Education

Teenagers who fall pregnant are highly likely to leave high school before obtaining their diploma. According to Beck (2011), these teenagers form part of the 30% students between 15 and 19 in the country who will drop out of high school before finishing their studies. When this happens, it is highly unlikely that the student in question will ever return to complete his or her diploma. This is particularly the case with pregnant teenagers, who are weighed down by the responsibility of caring for their children.

Encouragingly, however, Beck also notes that the number of dropouts as a result of teen pregnancy has sharply declined, form 15% in the past to 4% on average currently, as a result of specific public school programs implemented to cater for pregnant teens. In addition, some states have implemented high schools that entirely focus on the needs of pregnant teens and teen mothers for the purpose of helping them complete their secondary studies without the judgment and alienation that would plague them in the mainstream high school setting.

Still, teen mothers remain more likely to drop out of high school than other girls of their peer group. Indeed, only 40% of these teenagers graduate from high school, compared to 75% of those who do not have children before their 18th birthday, and with similar socio-economic backgrounds. The result of this, as seen above, is that these mothers lack job skills, making it difficult not only to find employment that could adequately support themselves and their children, but also to retain these jobs once they find them. The result is that about 64% of children born under such conditions live in poverty, compared to 7% of children born to married women older than 20 and who are high school graduates. The legacy repeats itself with these children; they are 50% more likely to repeat a grade during their entire school career, they perform badly on standardized tests, and they tend to drop out of high school before finishing (March of Dimes, 2009).

Despite the programs and schools that exist to help them finish their studies, Mangel (2010) states quite bluntly that most pregnant teens drop out of school, after which they face a lifetime of economic insecurity at best, and of hardship at worst. The author adds discrimination as an extra dimension to the difficulties that pregnant teenagers face.

Huus (2010) notes that teen mothers who do not finish high school have much less earning potential than those who do finish high school and those who do not have children until later. According to the author, girls who have a child by 17, can expect to earn $28,000 less in th 15 years after birth than if they had children later in life. Sadly, the legacy repeats itself, with daughters of teen mothers being three times more likely than their peers to become teen mothers themselves, and sons being more likely to enter the prison system.

Mangel (2010) notes that civil rights issues could play a significant role, since there is a notable disparity between affluent areas and less affluent areas when comes to teen pregnancy rates. According to the author, the trend has been for pregnancy among White and Asian students to decrease, while it has been unchanged for American Indian, Hispanic, and Black students. In the Hispanic community, for example, about half of teenage girls become pregnant, compared to the national average of about a quarter. According to Mangel (2010), most girls who fall pregnant drop out of high school as a direct result. The author reports that most of these girls indicated that they would have stayed in school with greater support from the adults involved.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In addition to steps that can be taken to mitigate the situations faced by teenage mothers, another recommendation is to promote prevention among young people and schools. Because of the risks and lifetime hardships involved, entities like "March of Dimes" (2009) recommend that preventative action be taken, in the form of educational sessions encouraging young girls to take precautions when having sex, or to abstain from sex altogether until they are ready for children.

In the event of unplanned pregnancy, it is recommended that young mothers engage in healthy habits and activities, including healthy diet, healthy weight, and not smoking, drinking, or taking drugs.

Institutes such as Naral (2010, p.1) recommends that emergency contraception be made available to teenagers of all ages, rather than only those who are over 18. Also known as the "morning after" pill, the drug is available to women who have not taken any precautions when engaged in sexual activity. Girls who are younger than 18 need their parents' permission to obtain the drug. This is often a deterrent for girls who are afraid to tell their parents of their indiscreet activities. Hence, the recommendation is based upon the fact that more teenagers at risk of pregnancy could be helped if not required to inform their parents.

In conclusion, teenage pregnancy is a very difficult social, economic, and health issue. The tragedy is that many of these pregnancies can be prevented with sufficient education and parental guidance. Those who do fall pregnant should be guided without prejudice to help them and their unborn children become productive members of society, as well as economically viable to support themselves and their children towards a brighter future.