Teenage Cohabitation, Marriage, and Childbearing

Abstract

Cohabitation is an integral part of family research; however, little work examines cohabitation among teenagers or links between cohabitation and teenage childbearing. Drawing on the National Survey of Family Growth (2006–10), we examine family formation activities (i.e., cohabitation, marriage, and childbearing) of 3,945 15–19 year old women from the mid 1990s through 2010. One-third (34%) of teenagers cohabit, marry, or have a child. Teenage cohabitation and marriage are both positively associated with higher odds of having a child. The vast majority of single pregnant teenagers do not form a union before the birth of their child; only 22% cohabit and 5% marry. Yet most single pregnant teenagers eventually cohabit, 59% did so by the child’s third birthday and about 9% marry. Cohabitation is an important part of the landscape of the adolescent years, and many teenage mothers described as “single mothers” are actually in cohabiting relationships.

Factors associated with pregnancy and motherhood among Mexican women aged 15-24

“…Currently, Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region in the world where child marriage has not declined over the last 30 years 31 , with Mexico occupying the 3rd place among countries with the highest proportion of women between 20-24 years old who were married or in a union before they were 18 years old (23%) 32,33 . Social vulnerability, lack of choices for young women, and stigma around early pregnancies and single motherhood often push adolescent girls into formal and informal unions, which subsequently increase the likelihood of pregnancy 34 and school drop-out 25,35 . An important aspect frequently ignored when talking about adolescent pregnancy is the fact that some of these pregnancies were not only intended but were also planned.…”

Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, And Which Children Are at Greatest Risk?

“…Some studies of early marriage in the country have included youth aged 18 and 19 and those in their early 20s. 21,22 Others have used nationally representative survey samples that include respondents from broad age ranges. 8, 23 These estimates are an average of the prevalence of child marriage across several generations and may not accurately reflect prevalence among younger people.…”

“…Prevalence among younger cohorts, which would help to establish the extent to which the practice continues in the United States, has not been examined. Some studies of early marriage in the country have included youth aged 18 and 19 and those in their early 20s . Others have used nationally representative survey samples that include respondents from broad age ranges .…”

New Partners, More Kids

“…With fairly high rates of demise among parental unions, parents are forming new unions; these unions are usually cohabitations, only some of which later transition to marriage. For instance, Manning and Cohen (2010) find that by their child’s third birthday two-thirds of teen parents are cohabiting and 15 percent have married, most likely with a new partner. Similarly, within five years of a nonmarital birth, 20 percent of mothers who were cohabiting at birth and 27 percent of those who were romantically involved with their child’s father have had at least one new cohabiting or marital union (McLanahan and Beck 2010).…”