Explaining Recent Trends in the U.S. Teen Birth Rate. NBER Working Paper No. 17964

Autor/inn/en	Kearney, Melissa Schettini; Levine, Phillip B.
Institution	National Bureau of Economic Research
Titel	Explaining Recent Trends in the U.S. Teen Birth Rate. NBER Working Paper No. 17964
Quelle	(2012) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Family Planning; Sex Education; Birth Rate; Labor Market; Early Parenthood; Sexuality; Adolescents; Youth; Child Rearing; Hispanic Americans; Contraception; Federal Programs; Parents; Welfare Recipients; Welfare Services; Pregnancy; Youth Problems; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Familienplanung; Sex instruction; Sexualaufklärung; Sexualerziehung; Sexualkunde; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Sexualität; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Kindererziehung; Hispanic; Hispanoamerikaner; Empfängnisverhütung; Eltern; Sozialhilfeempfänger; Sozialhilfeempfängerin; Fürsorgeeinrichtung; Schwangerschaft; USA
Abstract	We investigate possible explanations for the large decline in U.S. teen childbearing that occurred in the twenty years following the 1991 peak. Our review of previous evidence and the results of new analyses presented here leads to the following main set of observations. First, the observed decline in teen childbearing is even more surprising given the increasing share of Hispanic teens, who have higher birth rates. Second, we find that a reduction in sexual activity and an increase in contraceptive use contributed to the decline roughly equally. Third, we are able to identify a statistically discernible impact of declining welfare benefits and expanded access to family planning services through Medicaid, but combined they can only account for 12 percent of the observed decline in teen childbearing between 1991 and 2008. We are unable to find any impact of other policies (including abstinence only or mandatory sex education) or labor market conditions. In the end we conclude that the standard factors which are claimed to be related to the rate at which teens give birth appear to explain little of the recent trend. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10