Early Childbearing, Human Capital Attainment, and Mortality Risk
Evidence from a Longitudinal Demographic Surveillance Area in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4361108 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cally Ardington (0000-0002-5792-8833, University of Cape Town), Alicia Menendez (0000-0002-9037-617X, University of Chicago), Tinofa Mutevedzi (0000-0002-1749-3089, University of KwaZulu-Natal) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 281-317 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Economic Development and Cultural Change (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-0079 • E-ISSN: 1539-2988 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/678983 |
| PMID | 26028690 |
| PMCID | PMC4443483 |
| OpenAlex | W2021875559 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 38 |
Using a rich longitudinal dataset, we examine the relationship between teen fertility and both subsequent educational outcomes and HIV related mortality risk in rural South Africa. Human capital deficits among teen mothers are large and significant, with earlier births associated with greater deficits. In contrast to many other studies from developed countries, we find no clear evidence of selectivity into teen childbearing in either schooling trajectories or pre-fertility household characteristics. Enrolment rates among teen mothers only begin to drop in the period immediately preceding the birth and future teen mothers are not behind in their schooling relative to other girls. Older teen mothers and those further ahead in school for their age pre-birth are more likely to continue schooling after the birth. In addition to adolescents' higher biological vulnerability to HIV infection, pregnancy also appears to increase the risk of contracting HIV. Following women over an extended period, we document a higher HIV related mortality risk for teen mothers that cannot be explained by household characteristics in early adulthood. Controlling for age at sexual debut, we find that teen mothers report lower condom use and older partners than other sexually active adolescents
Biology · Condom · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Educational attainment · Fertility · Human capital · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) · Longitudinal study · Population · Pregnancy · Sociology · Vulnerability (computing) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Demography · HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses · Medicine · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
Teen parent trap? The education and labor implications of motherhood and fatherhood during the transition from adolescence to adulthood in Cebu, the Philippines
Does free secondary education mitigate the impact of teen births on educational outcomes? Evidence from Ghana
Accelerators for improved health among adolescent mothers in South Africa
The effects of teenage childbearing on education, physical health, and mental distress
Versatility, value and limitations of using health and demographic surveillance system data for secondary analyses
The journey into motherhood and schooling
Quality of Contraceptive Use and Women’s Paid Work and Earnings in Peri-Urban Ethiopia
Development of Resilience in Teenage Mothers within Contextual Realities of Poor Rural South Africa
Learner pregnancy in South Africa’s Eastern Cape
Contraception to women’s economic empowerment
Who goes back to school after birth? Factors associated with postpartum school return among adolescent mothers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
A mixed-methods study of resilience and return to school among adolescent mothers in South Africa
Exploring narratives and advocating support and peer mentorship to improve HIV-positive adolescent mothers’ lives in South Africa
“I did not plan … that is what hurts”
Effect of the Number of Pregnancies on Mortality Risk in HIV-Infected Women
Why Is Youth Unemployment So Intractable in South Africa? A Synthesis of Evidence at the Micro-Level
Becoming a mother
Women’s reproductive health and economic activity
Early Childbearing, School Attainment, and Cognitive Skills
The Effects of Adolescent Childbearing on Literacy and Numeracy in Bangladesh, Malawi, and Zambia
Conflict and Contraception in Colombia
Health Outcomes for Children Born to Teen Mothers in Cape Town, South Africa
Childbearing in the Context of the Child Support Grant in a Rural Area in South Africa
Social Protection and Labor Market Outcomes of Youth in South Africa
Gender gaps in the path to adulthood for young females and males in six African countries from the 1990s to the 2010s
Age-disparate and intergenerational sex in southern Africa
Age Differences in Sexual Partners and Risk of HIV-1 Infection in Rural Uganda
Sexual mixing patterns and sex-differentials in teenage exposure to HIV infection in rural Zimbabwe
The Socioeconomic Consequences of Teen Childbearing Reconsidered
Young people's sexual health in South Africa
Early age of first sex
The Influence of Early Sexual Debut and Sexual Violence on Adolescent Pregnancy
The Schooling Costs of Teenage Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing
Empowering teenagers to prevent pregnancy
Young Teenagers and Older Sexual Partners
Does teenage childbearing reduce investment in human capital
The socioeconomic consequences of young women's childbearing
Refining the Criteria for Stalled Fertility Declines
The Health Consequences of Adolescent Sexual and Fertility Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Schooling Among Young People in Urban South Africa
Age and Economic Asymmetries in the Sexual Relationships of Adolescent Girls in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Pregnancy‐related School Dropout and Prior School Performance in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa
Premarital Fertility in Rural South Africa
Relationship dynamics and teenage pregnancy in South Africa
The early socioeconomic effects of teenage childbearing
Dispensing with marriage
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,27 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2025 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 25 |