Beyond 9 months: a study on the significance of early childbearing on a women's educational attainment
Date
2002-11
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Abstract
In this paper, we model and estimate the relationship between teenage childbearing at different ages and educational attainment. We employ a two-stage least squares estimation method to take into account the endogeneity and simultaneity bias of age at first childbirth and educational attainment. Using data from the 1994 Young Adult Fertility Survey (YAFS2), we find that teenage childbearing at any age substantially reduces years of formal education and hence the educational attainment of women. Our results suggest that "a teen birth is a teen birth", and that public policies that reduce teenage childbearing are likely to have positive effects on the economic well being of young mothers.
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Keywords
Early childbearing, Adolescent pregnancy, Reproductive health, Educational attainment, Maternal health