Social Policy & Services Taskforce on Teen Pregnancy

1. Social Policy & ServicesTaskforce on Teen Pregnancy Jessica Naddaff Ashley Talbert Wendy Huang Blayne Lopes

2. Problem Definition “Social problems are labeled, constructed, and defined by individuals and groups, and these labels are accepted or rejected by society based more on the power and skill of the individual or group than on any objective manifestation of the condition being defined.” (Popple & Leighninger, 2011, p. 75.)

3. Problem Definition – The “Good” News • The U.S. teenage birth rate reached an historic low in 2009, after an uptick in 2006 and 2007. • The current teenage birthrate stands at 39.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19.

4. Number of Births & Birth Rate for Teenagers Aged 15-19

5. Problem Definition – The Bad News • The U.S. teenage birth rate remains the highest among industrialized countries. • Nearly two-thirds of births to women younger than age 18 and more than half of those among 18−19 year olds are unintended.

6. Teen Birth Rates in Industrialized Countries

7. Problem Definition – A Vicious Cycle • Children born to teen parents often have a unique set of needs which leave them at increased risk for repeating early parenting, thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty among future generations.

8. Problem Definition – Our Focus - Education • In late 2009, President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress approved a major change in federal sex-education funding. • The change marks the first time in nearly 30 years that the federal government will fund any school sex education other than so-called abstinence-only programs.

9. Systems Must address the systems that allow racism to continue and change the fundamental conditions that help to maintain racially disparate outcomes.

10. What’s the Problem? Consider the social world inhabited by a poor woman. What meaning might having a child add to her life? Is being pregnancy necessarily viewed as a problem?

11. Race – General Trends • The teen pregnancy rate increased for every racial/ethnic subgroup between 2005 and 2006. • Birth rates for teenagers fell in 2009 for all racial and ethnic groups. • Socioeconomically disadvantaged youth of any race or ethnicity experience the highest rates of teen pregnancy and childbirth.

12. Birth Rates by Race/Ethnicity

13. Hispanic Teens • Latinas have the highest teen pregnancy rate and teen birth rate of any major ethnic/racial minority in the country. • However, Latinas have similar rates of sexual activity to other groups. • Access, Cultural Norms, and Opportunity all play a role.

14. African American Teens • 50% of black teen girls get pregnant at least once before age 20—nearly twice the national average. • Despite an increase between 2005 and 2006, the pregnancy rates among black teen girls have declined dramatically over the past fifteen years. • Similar issues regarding lack of Access & Opportunity to Latina teens.

15. Socioeconomic Status • A very high proportion of teen births occurs in low-income families. • Disparities in rates across different racial/ethnic groups reduce significantly when socioeconomic status is considered. • Federal interest in the teen pregnancy “problem” largely a result of the fact that babies born to poor families are more likely to end up needing taxpayer-supported benefits.

16. Sexism • Abstinence only education ties a woman’s morality and personal worth to her sexual purity. • Problem is typically framed in terms of young women. • Women, especially poor women, have limited capacity for economic independence due to the policies currently in place.

17. Heterosexism • Comprehensive sexuality education unlikely to include any positive reference to same-sex relationships. • In fact, sexual orientation is among the three most likely topics to be excluded from a sexuality education course.

18. LGBTQ LGBTQ youth have twice the risk of experiencing an unintended pregnancy as their non-LGBTQ peers.

19. Abelism Disabled youth are at an increased risk for abuse and are often ignored when it comes to sexuality education because of the perception that they are unlikely to engage in sexual activity.

20. Age – General Trends • Birth rates overall and by race and ethnicity are consistently higher for ages 18-19 than for ages 15-17. • Although the downward trend for both age groups has been similar, long-term declines were smaller for older teenagers.

21. Ageism • Often assumed that a woman’s age will determine how well she is able to mother her children. • Stigma of being a young mother – young motherhood is not the problem in itself. • Need to speak a language that respects all youth.

22. Geographic Trends • Neighborhood-level variables, like higher median household income and better access to family planning services, are predictors of higher contraceptive use among adolescent women. • State-specific teenage birth rates are highest across the southern United States.

24. Other Marginalized & Oppressed Groups • Youth in Foster Care - 2.5 times more likely to have been pregnant by the age of 19 as compared to young people not in foster care. • Homeless and Runaway Youth - Less likely to receive any sexuality education because of their lack of engagement in the usual delivery systems.

25. Implications Policymakers assume it's possible to compel women to modify their behavior without addressing the structural factors that push women into single motherhood in the first place.

26. Recommendations Based on Demographic Data • Need programs for runaway and homeless youth in non-school settings. • Expand beyond schools and the usual community sites and go to where the most marginalized young people might be found and engage them in our systems of care. • Advocate for a more positive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health.. • Focus on priority populations. • Understand the social and economic realities that shape the worldview of mothers whose attitudes about childbearing and child-rearing are, in many respects, profoundly different from our own.

27. Resource Related Dilemmas • Cultural Competence - Lack of population-specific appropriateness among youth-serving professionals. It is difficult to be inclusive of all youth including maintaining linguistic and cultural relevance. • “Effective Technologies” - There are little to no evidence based programs for foster care, immigrant, runaway, homeless, disabled, adjudicated, or LGBTQ youth.

28. Actions You Can Take • http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/end_abonly • Send a message to your representatives to Co-Sponsor the Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act of 2011. • This act was introduced on March 15, 2011. • There is a feature on this page that automatically finds your representatives and creates a message template that you can edit.

29. Actions You Can Take • Use Social Media like Facebook and Twitter to Share the above link and links to other articles about Teen Pregnancy. • Write a letter to your junior high and high school boards or the Department of Education. • Use the Media