Teenage motherhood among disadvantaged girls: a strategy to improve or worsen bad odds in life outcomes?

Doreen Huschek, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
Mioara Zoutewelle-Terovan, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement and VU University Amsterdam

In the Netherlands, teenage fertility rates are among the lowest in developed countries. However, among disadvantaged girls there are still very high rates of teenage pregnancy. We analyze the life outcomes of 270 women that have been institutionalized in their youth for behavioral or family problems. 34% of them gave birth before age 20 and 48% of them before age 22. It is debated whether adverse outcomes are caused by teenaged motherhood or whether teenaged motherhood is itself caused by adverse outcomes and the subsequent adverse outcomes are thus spurious. We go around this issue by comparing teenage mothers with other women that are similar to them in disadvantaged background characteristics. Giving birth may be a particular strategy for these girls, and may offer more stability and help and may improve their life chances compared to other girls of deprived and difficult backgrounds. We study their life outcomes for criminal behavior, employment success and welfare state dependence from age 16 to 36.