Consequences of Teen Parenthood: Differences Between Teen Moms and Teen Dads in Canada

Laura Wright , University of Saskatchewan
Matthew Johnson, University of Alberta
Sarah Knudson, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan

Teen motherhood is associated with a variety of adverse consequences. However, the experience of parenthood is highly gendered, suggesting that the consequences of teenage parenthood might be different for teen moms and teen dads. Moreover, the consequences an early transition to parenthood might be different for more recent cohorts of Canadians as the prevalence of teen parenthood has decreased, and as the transition to parenthood in the population has been delayed. We use the 2011 GSS and propensity score weighting techniques to examine a variety of consequences of teen parenthood for women and men, and whether teen parenthood has different consequences for teen moms and dads in a contemporary cohort of Canadians. Preliminary results suggest that early parenthood is equally detrimental for moms and dads in terms of education, life satisfaction, and family behaviors, but there are greater adverse consequences for teen moms in terms of income and self-rated health.

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 Presented in Session 85. Adolescent Fertility and Contraceptive Use