TEENAGE CHILDBEARING - AN ADAPTIVE STRATEGY FOR THE SOCIOECONOMICALLYDISADVANTAGED OR A STRATEGY FOR ADAPTING TO SOCIOECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE

Objective: To examine the relation between childbearing and educationa l and vocational achievements of American females high school students . Data Source: Articles published in English during the past decade ab out the educational, vocational, and socioeconomic sequelae of childbe aring among female high school students. Data Selection: Articles that did not contain data about the relation between adolescent childbeari ng and educational and vocational achievement were excluded. Data Synt hesis: Most females who begin childbearing during adolescence obtain l ess schooling and poorer-paying jobs than do females who postpone chil dbearing. The reasons for this are elusive. Differences in the family and cultural backgrounds of early (high schoolage) and later (18 years and older) childbearers explain some but not all of the association b etween early child bearing and educational and vocational underachieve ment. The effect of childbearing preferences on the educational and vo cational achievements of teenagers has not been studied adequately. La ck of concrete information could result in underestimation of the effe ct of early childbearing on the socioeconomic well-being of young Amer icans, and create the impression that adolescent pregnancy is an adapt ive response to urban poverty. Conclusions: As much as the long-term s ocioeconomic sequelae of adolescent childbearing reflect factors that influence the judgments young people make about the costs and benefits of contraception and parenthood, adolescent childbearing is a means o f adapting to urban poverty. Thus postponing adolescent conceptions an d parenthood may have a less important effect on the socioeconomic wel l-being of young Americans than expected.