Adolescent Mothers: The Impact of Living Arrangements on Long-Term Economic Outcomes

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the first months of an adolescent mothers living arrangements on future educational attainment income employment and socioeconomic well-being. The sample was drawn from cases of physicians practicing in southwestern Ontario Canada in the mid-1980s. Interviews were conducted promptly after medical confirmation of adolescent pregnancy and again 4-8 weeks after delivery. Final interviews were conducted in 1992 about 7 years after the first interviews. The sample in 1992 included 213 mothers or 85% of respondents. A life history calendar was used to facilitate recall of life course events. Living arrangements are identified as: married cohabiting living with one or both parents or living alone. The first part of the analysis examines the relationship between age education and employment of women in each living arrangement at Time Period 2 (after delivery) and educational attainment and income at Time Period 3. The second part of the analysis expands the model to include the effects of early living arrangements and role-related events that follow after educational advancement. The last model captures the impact of childhood and adolescent family circumstances. At Time Period 1 the differences between mothers characteristics and living arrangements were small. However by Time Period 3 mothers living with parent(s) had almost $3000 more in income compared to mothers with other living arrangements or $15592 per household/year. Women who lived alone or were cohabiting had the poorest outcomes 7 years later. Although married mothers were slightly older and had more education and work experience mothers living with parents had outcomes similar to those of married mothers. Findings suggest that the timing of role-related events was key to subsequent educational gains. Returns to school within 12 months of delivery which occurred more frequently among mothers living with parents was the strongest predictor of longer-term educational gains. Findings suggest that not only prior socioeconomic adversity but also noneconomic background variables limited options of young mothers.