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Issue Description
The UK currently has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe – seven times those of the Netherlands and double those of France or Germany. Why is the rate so high, and how can it best be tackled? This book looks at teen conceptions and their outcomes in the UK, the challenges faced by young parents, and at strategies for preventing high rates of teenage pregnancy in future.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
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Key Facts
- The UK has the highest teenage birth and abortion rates in Western Europe. (page 2)
- The under-16 conception rate increased from 7.8 per 1,000 girls aged 13 to 15 in 2006 to 8.3 in 2007. There were an estimated 8,196 conceptions to girls aged under 16 in 2007, representing just under one per cent of all conceptions. (page 3)
- Between 1998 and 2007 the teenage conception rate fell by 10.7 per cent in under-18s and by 6.4 per cent in under-16s. (page 7)
- Babies to teenage mums tend to have a lower than average birth weight. Infant mortality is 60% higher than for babies of older women. (page 11)
- 95% of people over-estimate the rate of under-16s who get pregnant each year and the same amount are unaware of the significant drop in this figure over the last decade. (page 13)
- In 1970, young women aged 15 to 19 in England and Wales were almost twice as likely to become mums as they are today. (page 16)
- Rates of teenage motherhood in the UK, at 15%, are around twice those of Germany (8%), three times those of France (6%), and almost four times those of Sweden (4%). (page 22)
- Around 80% of under-18 conceptions are in 16- and 17-year-olds, which is the age most young people become sexually active. (page 24)
- Teenage mothers are three times more likely to suffer from post-natal depression and experience poor mental health for up to three years after the birth. (page 27)
- 75% of 11- to 14-year-olds want, but currently find it difficult, to talk about sex and relationships with their parents. A resounding 99% feel talking wouldn’t encourage them to have sex as many parents fear. (page 35)
- Teenage mothers are likely to seek antenatal care much later in pregnancy than older women. They are less likely to breastfeed their babies than older mothers and are more likely, if from a deprived background, to remain poor and to experience higher levels of unemployment. They are also disproportionately likely to suffer relationship breakdown. (page 37)
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: Teenage Pregnancy
Teenagers: sexual behaviour and pregnancy, Conception rate increases among under-18s, Frequently asked questions about pregnancy, Teenage pregnancy, Teenage pregnancy facts, Making a decision, The worst in Europe, It takes two to make a teenage pregnancy, How many teens get pregnant?
Chapter Two: Young Parents
Parenthood?, Young mums, Young mums: the real story, Justin’s story, Supervised homes for young mums, Supporting teenage mums.
Chapter Three: Solutions
Condoms and contraception, Condoms: know the facts, Should the pill be available without prescription? Yes, Should the pill be available without prescription? No, Contraception and teenage pregnancy, More cash for contraception, About the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, The big question, Girls as young as 12 having abortions every year, Pilot did not reduce teen pregnancies, School sex clinics could reduce teen pregnancy, Education and pregnancy, Sex education: why the British should go Dutch, Everyday conversations, every day, We’re in a state of sexual confusion, Teenage pregnancy: mothers’ tide.
Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Additional Resources
Acknowledgements
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The Study Guide for: Teenage Conceptions - Volume 182
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.95
ISBN: 978 1 86168 533 9
