2025 - Edition 81 | September 30

Based on a literature review, the IMDS Technical Note discusses the effects of the problem on schooling and the labor market

Hello Leitor,

Teenage pregnancy affects young people's social groups – and also society as a whole. In a new study, IMDS proposes an economic analysis on the subject, which is often approached from the medical, psychological or educational perspectives. This approach is dedicated to analyzing and quantifying the economic impact, both in the private and public spheres, resulting from adolescent pregnancy.

The Technical Note "Costs and Interventions Regarding Pregnancy in Adolescence: A Brief Review of the Literature" was developed based on the review of 40 studies in the literature and offers valuable tools to identify direct and indirect costs, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of public policies aimed at mitigating the phenomenon.

The interference in the education of pregnant women is the first notable reflex. Teenage pregnancy reduces the years of schooling, in addition to affecting the probability of finishing high school and the school performance of young mothers. On the other hand, the quantification of the impacts on the male parent is still little explored in the literature. One of the rare examples of response was found in a survey in Chile, which identified the adolescent parents of 93.5% of the children in the study. The results indicate that the effect among male parents is smaller than that among female parents, although both are negatively impacted. Thus, pregnancy in this age group can increase gender inequalities.

These young women also face penalties in the labor market, which manifest themselves, most of the time, in differences in participation rate and wage level. Although the literature focuses on the impacts of adolescent pregnancy on the mother, the Technical Note brings to the discussion the effects that can be caused on the future child and on the social environment of adolescent parents.

According to the findings of the literature review, a friend who accompanied a teenage pregnancy has the probability of becoming pregnant while young decreased by six percentage points. This is because, when witnessing the difficulties of being a teenage mother, friends seek preventive measures. However, externalities – the process of being indirectly impacted by someone else's decision – are not always beneficial. Having a sister who becomes a teenage mother can decrease academic performance and increase the likelihood of truancy for the sibling not involved in the pregnancy, for example. This happens because parents tend to focus their attention on both the pregnant daughter and the grandchild.

The costs of teenage pregnancy are considerable and, in addition to the effects already mentioned, the problem also impacts public spending, since adolescent mothers have a greater need for government assistance. The IMDS study presents what the literature understands as the component elements of successful or unsuccessful policies in mitigating adolescent pregnancy, focusing on the context of the United States.

Several awareness campaigns in schools about the costs of teenage pregnancy have already been designed and carried out. However, their effectiveness as a strategy to mitigate the problem is uncertain. The inefficiency of these traditional information campaigns is related to the way communication is done with the target audience. The challenge lies in reconciling responsible communication with dynamic language. Effective communication with adolescents should, in addition to offering technical knowledge about contraceptive methods, awaken in them the individual desire to be informed about the subject.

Immediate resources are also considered in mitigating this problem. Expanding access to contraceptives, especially the "morning-after pill," can significantly reduce teenage pregnancy. However, authors such as Sourafel Girma and David Paton point out that, in addition to a possible ineffectiveness, these resources have an impact on the increase in sexually transmitted diseases.

In addition to contraceptives, access to broader health services and family planning and counseling programs also demonstrate relevance. Evidence shows that these initiatives also bring lasting effects, such as fewer offspring throughout life and better socioeconomic conditions for the next generation.

Studies also indicate that increasing the mother's schooling reduces the probability of a premature pregnancy, even if it is through mandatory presence in the classroom. Thus, policies to encourage education can reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy. The Bolsa Família Program exemplifies this, since the impact of the policy was estimated at three percentage points – enough to reduce the gap between poor and non-poor young people. However, according to experts, benefits not linked to school performance can have the opposite effect. In the United States, for example, there is evidence that more generous benefits lead to higher rates of teenage pregnancy. In other words, the format and value of the benefit are decisive for its effectiveness.

IMDS maintains its commitment to producing and disseminating qualified knowledge about programs and public policies with the potential to generate positive impacts on social mobility in Brazil. By investigating topics such as teenage pregnancy, from an economic perspective, the institute contributes to the improvement of public debate and to the formulation of more effective strategies that expand opportunities for social ascension.

See you in the next "IMDS Letter"!

Paulo Tafner

CEO