ADOLESCENT FERTILITY AND THE EDUCATIONAL-ATTAINMENT OF YOUNG-WOMEN

Analyses based on a sample of 2,795 women interviewed annually from 19 79 through 1991 in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth show that early childbearing lowers the educational attainment of young women. After controls for an extensive set of personal and community characte ristics are taken into account, having a child before age 20 significa ntly reduces schooling attained by almost three years among whites, bl acks and Hispanics. Having a child before age 18 has a significant eff ect only among blacks, reducing years of schooling by 1.2 years.