RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Teen Fertility and Siblings’ Outcomes
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 40
OP 72
DO 10.3368/jhr.56.1.0218-9341R2
VO 56
IS 1
A1 Jennifer A. Heissel
YR 2021
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/56/1/40.abstract
AB U.S. teen birth rates remain high relative to other industrialized countries. Despite extensive literature on teen mothers and their children, almost no research examines the effects of teen fertility on the rest of the mother’s family. I address this gap, finding that teen birth negatively affects mothers’ younger siblings. Using several matched control methods, I find that sisters of new teenage mothers experience a 3.8 percentage point decrease in test scores, a 7.6 percentage point increase in grade repetition, and a 9.3 percentage point increase high school dropout, while brothers experience a 9.2 percentage point increase in juvenile justice system exposure.