Country Sees Less Teen Pregnancies and Child Poverty

In the United States, the number of teens giving birth has fallen by 77 percent since 1991. Among young teens, the decline is even greater, hovering at about an 85 percent decrease.

“These are dramatic declines – impressive, surprising, and good for both teenagers and the children they eventually have,” says Elizabeth Wildsmith, a Child Trends researcher who took part in the analysis.

Many factors play a role in the trend, including the widespread availability of contraceptives, declines in adolescent sex, and civic campaigns. Whereas before the role of the woman was homemaker, today “there is […] a greater confidence among young women that they have educational and professional opportunities,” explains analyst and sociologist at the University of Virginia, Brad Wilcox. This decrease in teen births has coincided with a plunge in child poverty rates, though if the relationship between the two is a causal one is not yet certain.