Teenagers Who Wanted Pregnancy have Better Financial and Household Situations than Other Young Mothers

Abstract

This is a report of a study conducted on teenage pregnant women. Interviews were done on 209 pregnant teenagers who chose to carry their pregnancy to term and were receiving care at five prenatal clinics in the San Diego area. On the average adolescents who had intended to become pregnant were found to be slightly older than were young women who had not planned their pregnancy. Intention status differed by race and ethnicity. The majority of teenagers who were living with the father of the baby at the time of conception and relying on the father for primary financial support had wanted a baby. The study revealed that early childbearing is not inadvertent or unintentional for many young women. Instead it may be perceived as a normative and wanted event.