The 10 most shocking facts on Teen Pregnancy
We've partnered with our friends at the Candie's Foundation to bring some awareness to teen pregnancy. Here are the top 10 most shocking facts about Teen pregnancy:
- In the United States, there are nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies each year, that's about 2000 a day! This means that about 30% of girls get pregnant at least once.
- That 30% is heavily skewed towards minorities. It's estimated that about HALF of Latina and African American teenagers will be pregnant at least once before they're 20.
- Teen girls have a hard time supporting their babies. Raising a baby can cost up to $10,000 in the first year ALONE.
- About 80% of teen fathers don't marry the mom. They also contribute very little to raising the baby. On average, teen dads pay less than $800 a YEAR on child support.
- That 80% number can mean trouble. It's estimated that children who live apart from their dads are 5 times MORE likely to be poor than if they live with both parents.
- Teen pregnancy greatly affects education. Only 51% of teen moms have a high school diploma. The number for those who didn't have a teen birth is closer to 89%.
- Parenthood is the leading cause for teen girls dropping out of school.
- Teen moms are extremely UNLIKELY to go to college. Only about 2% of young teen moms ever get a higher education degree.
- Having a baby in your teens can also affect the baby: The daughters of teen moms are 3 times more likely to become teen moms themselves.
- Sons are also affected. The sons of teen moms are twice as likely to become incarcerated.
To learn more about the Candies Foundation and teen pregnancy, follow them on Twitter!
