The Probability of Teenage Parenthood: Parental Predictions and Their Accuracy

Family Matters: Decade Review from Journal of Family and Economic Issues

“…In some situations, family formation decisions can be harmful, such as teenage pregnancy. Using longitudinal data from American teenagers and their parents, Routon ( 2018 ) examined the occurrence and accuracy of parents’ predictions regarding the likelihood of their teenage children becoming pregnant. Although perceptions and their accuracy differed by socio-economic status (SES), race, and religion, he found that the average American parent slightly underestimated the likelihood of his/her teenage child becoming pregnant.…”

“…There are many negative outcomes associated with teenage pregnancy both for the teenage parents and their child (Casad et al 2012 ; Jaffee et al 2001 ). Given that these negative outcomes may be exacerbated by lack of accurate prediction of teenage pregnancy likelihood (Routon 2018 ), it may be important for future research to examine how this type of family formation is predicted by the beliefs and perceptions of both teenagers and their parents.…”

“…In sum, mothers’ age at first childbirth was positively associated with many facets of economic and psychological wellbeing later in life. While children can provide many benefits to parents and society, the timing and context of the transition to parenthood are important considerations (Casad et al 2012 ; Routon 2018 ). It is vital to empower women—for women to have the choice of, if, and when to have children—and to support mothers.…”

“…From exploring economic predictors of teenage parenthood (Routon 2018 ), to how child support influences familial relationships as described earlier (Hofferth et al 2010 ), to looking at how parents socialize children’s beliefs regarding time, work, and money (Gauly 2017 ; LeBaron and Kelley this issue), research during the past decade related to finances and parenting has widely varied in topic. Given the increasing number of dual earner households (Pew Research Center 2015 ), the inequality in parenting responsibilities among dual-earner couples is of particular interest.…”

“…Indeed, Dasgupta (p. 656) specifically referred to “intergenerational transmission of attitudes towards wife-beating” as both a barrier to but also a potential avenue for overcoming IPV. As two final examples, several articles studied how individuals are socialized by family members and culture regarding family formation norms (e.g., Dew and Price 2011 ; Peterson and Engwall 2016 ; Routon 2018 ) as well as regarding coresidence norms (e.g., Drake et al 2018 ; Johar et al 2015 ; Warner et al 2017 ). These articles demonstrate that while it is crucial to study family financial socialization overtly, it may also be helpful to consider more subtle avenues by which individuals’ socialization affects both their financial and relational wellbeing.…”