Pathways to Wellbeing among Teenage Mothers in Great Britain

1. Pathways to Wellbeing among Teenage Mothers in Great Britain Elzbieta Polek & Ingrid Schoon Institute of Education London Gender Equality Symposium Cambridge, March 2009

2. Teenage Motherhood • The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe; • In 2003 almost 60,000 babies were born to teenage girls in England and Wales; • This represents roughly 10% of all the babies born that year; • The proportion of women becoming teenage mothers has not changed much among cohorts born since the 1960s. (Kirnan, 1997; www.action.org.uk)

3. Teenage Motherhood in Europe Source: UNICEF: Innocenti Report Card, Issue No. 3, 2001

4. Antecedents of Teenage Motherhood • Teenage motherhood is associated with problematic childhood and is often a repetition of intergenerational scenario: • daughters of teenaged mothers become teenage mothers themselves; • social disadvantage; • low education; • family disruption; • low parenting skills, low psychological health of mothers and children.

5. Teenage Motherhood as a Social Problem • Teenage motherhood is associated with adjustment problems later in life: • psychological distress of mothers and children; • socio-economic disadvantage; • exclusion from paid labour; • welfare dependence.

6. Wellbeing of Teenage Mothers • Factors promoting well-being among teenage mothers: • Return to education; • Attachment to the labour market; • Stable relationship; • Yet, there is little understanding of the pathways leading to successful transition experiences.

7. Aims of the study • First, we want to examine the antecedents and pathways to wellbeing among teenage mothers, in order to answer the question: what helps them to avoid repetition of the intergenerational scenario of destitution? • Second, we want to examine a link between economic independence and psychological wellbeing of teenage mothers.

8. Method • Analysis of the longitudinal data from 2 generations of women: the sample of 738 teenage mothers and their mothers; • Using Mplus 5 we performed pathway analysis with probit regressions based on robust weighted least squares estimation; • Next, we carried out ANOVA comparing the psychological wellbeing of welfare-dependent teenage mothers and those independent from social welfare.

9. Data Source and Sample • British Cohort Study (BCS1970) • Continuing longitudinal study of all children born in one week in April 1970; • Followed from birth to age 34; • At age 30 - 5738 female respondents; • Sample used in the present study: 738 teenage mothers (13% of all female respondents in BCS1970).

10. Variables Included in the Model(Predictors) • Family background: • Teenage motherhood (generation 1); • Mother’s education (generation 1); • Relationship status (generation 1); • Family cohesion (family of origin); • Individual characteristics: • General cognitive abilities (generation 2, age 10); • School motivation (generation 2, age 16)

11. Variables Included in the Model(Outcomes) • Transition experiences between age 16 and 29: • Highest qualifications obtained (generation 2); • Time spend in employment (generation 2); • Stable relationship (generation 2); • Wellbeing in adulthood, age 30: • Independence from welfare (generation 2); • Satisfaction with life (generation 2); • Psychological wellbeing (the Malaise Inventory, generation 2).

12. Mother’s education generation 1 Cognitive abilities generqation 2, age 10 Academic & vocational qualifications generqation 2, age 16-29 Independence from social welfare generation 2, age16-29 Time spend in employment generqation 2, age 16-29 School motivation generqation 2, age 16 Teenage motherhood generation 1 Family cohesion family of origin, age 16 Relationship status generation 2 Relationship status generation 1 Pathway Model Linking Social Background to Transition Experiences

13. .04 Academic & vocational qualifications generation2, age 16-29 Mother’s education generation 1 .12** Cognitive abilitiesgenerqation 2, age 10 .40** .01 .02 .34** .08 .32** .13** .18** -0.18* -.08 Independence from social welfare generation 2, age16-29 -.08* Time spend in employment generation 2, age 16-29 School motivation generation 2, age 16 .41** .15* .11* .44** .26** -.14* -.12 Teenage motherhood generation 1 Family cohesion family of origin Relationship status generation 2 .31** .06 .16* -.02 -.17** Relationship status generation 1 .02 .04 Estimated Pathways Linking Social Background to Transition Experiences • χ2 = 26.04, df = 15, • p = 0.04 • CFI = 0.968 • RMSA = 0.032 Standardized coefficients: **p < .001, *p < .05

14. Life Satisfaction among Teenage Mothers (generation 2) ANOVA: F (1,722) = 30.49, p <.000, η = .041

15. 5,8 5,6 5,4 5,2 5 4,8 4,6 4,4 4,2 4 welfare dependant independence from welfare Malaise among Teenage Mothers (generation 2) ANOVA: F (1,723) = 22.08, p <.001, η = .030

16. Main Findings • Economic wellbeing among teenage mothers is influenced mainly by: • Attachment to the labour market; • Stable relationship. • Independence from social welfare is a proxy for life satisfaction and psychological wellbeing among teenage mothers; • Some unfavourable characteristics of the family of origin (teenage motherhood or parental divorce) donot have to be detrimental for child development, if parents give attention to a child and engage in joint parent-child activities.

17. Policy Implications (1) • Importance of parent-child interactions for school motivation and stable relationship in adulthood → Need to create opportunities for family activities; → Too little attention to emotional needs of young families in current polices.

18. Policy Implications (2) • Importance of school motivation: • Motivated teenagers : • More likely to continue with education; • More attached to the labour market; • Yet, bright young women disengaged from school → Need to raise interest and engagement in school.

19. Thank you for your attention! e.polek@ioe.ac.uk i.schoon@ioe.ac.uk