RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Teenage Childbearing and Its Life Cycle Consequences
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 683
OP 715
DO 10.3368/jhr.XL.3.683
VO XL
IS 3
A1 Hotz, V. Joseph
A1 McElroy, Susan Williams
A1 Sanders, Seth G.
YR 2005
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/XL/3/683.abstract
AB We exploit a “natural experiment” associated with human reproduction to identify the causal effect of teen childbearing on the socioeconomic attainment of teen mothers. We exploit the fact that some women who become pregnant experience a miscarriage and do not have a live birth. Using miscarriages an instrumental variable, we estimate the effect of teen mothers not delaying their childbearing on their subsequent attainment. We find that many of the negative consequences of teenage childbearing are much smaller than those found in previous studies. For most outcomes, the adverse consequences of early childbearing are short-lived. Finally, for annual hours of work and earnings, we find that a teen mother would have lower levels of each at older ages if they had delayed their childbearing.