Bristol Breaks Up: Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Stats

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Here are some stats, inspired by Bristol Palin's recent break-up, about teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

  • At the time of their child's birth, more than half of unmarried teen mothers say they are either "certain" or chances are "good" they will marry the biological father of their child. However, 8 out of 10 fathers don't ever marry the teen mother of their child.
  • Despite high expectations for marriage, fewer than 8% of teen mothers marry their baby's father within one year of the birth of their child.
  • Teenagers who have a non-marital birth are also significantly less likely to be married by the age of 35 than those who do not have babies as teens.
  • Marriage among teens is rare - in 2002 only 2.5% of teens had ever been married, compared to 11% in 1975.
  • As recently as 1980, the majority of teen births (52%) were marital births. By 2002, only 20% of teen births occurred within marriage.
  • Teen marriages are twice as likely to fail as marriages in which the woman is at least 25 years old.
  • It is also the case that most single mothers of all ages who have a child as a result of an unplanned pregnancy remain single and most cohabiting mothers either continue cohabiting or break up with their partner.

TeenSource is a project of the California Family Health Council. All Rights Reserved.
TeenSource.org is funded in part by the Federal Office of Population Affairs, Title X grant and the California Wellness Foundation.
Additional money has been provided by the California Endowment and the American Civil Liberties Union.