An article examined how associations between deprivation and under-18 conceptions, along with subsequent abortions, had changed with the recent fall in teenage pregnancy rates in England. Although under-18 conceptions had fallen between 1998 and 2010, inequalities in rates between the most and least deprived local authorities had remained undiminished. At the same time, abortion had become an increasingly common outcome of under-18 conceptions.
Source: David Conrad, 'Deprivation-based inequalities in under-18 conception rates and the proportion of under-18 conceptions leading to abortion in England, 1998-2010', Journal of Public Health, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A paper estimated the causal effect of being born to a teenage mother on children's outcomes in Europe. The findings suggested that the child's probability of post-compulsory education decreased when born to a teenage mother, and that the daughters of teenage mothers were significantly more likely to become teenage mothers themselves.
Source: Maria Navarro Paniagua and Ian Walker, The Impact of Teenage Motherhood on the Education and Fertility of their Children: Evidence for Europe, Discussion Paper 6995, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
An article said that age at entry to motherhood was increasingly socially polarized. Early childbearing typically occurred among women from disadvantaged backgrounds relative to women with later first births. Differentials in children's cognitive and behavioural development at age 5 could be due to difficulties facing immature mothers: but much of it was attributable to young mothers' social origins, or inequalities apparent at the age 0 survey, which might also have had earlier origins. The developmental penalty left to be attributed to the mother's age as such was, at most, modest.
Source: Denise Hawkes and Heather Joshi, 'Age at motherhood and child development: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort', National Institute Economic Review, Volume 222 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A new book examined the transition to parenthood, analyzing and comparing the biographies of mothers and fathers in seven European countries. It considered how policies and practices at the institutional level affected parents' daily experiences of juggling work and family life.
Source: Ann Nilsen, Julia Brannen, and Suzan Lewis (eds), Transitions to Parenthood in Europe: A comparative life course perspective, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jul
A report provided an overview of statistics (from the Millennium Cohort Study and other, comparable, data sources) about the attitudes, experiences, and challenges faced by new parents in each of the four countries of the United Kingdom.
Source: Lisa Bunting and Susan Galloway, What the Millennium Cohort Study Can Tell Us About the Challenges New Parents Face: Statistics for England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr