Teens, Relationships, and Marriage

Bill Albert
202-478-8510

A Statement from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned

3/12/2009

(Washington, DC) - The news that Bristol Palin and her fiancé Levi Johnston have broken off their engagement once again focuses national attention on teens' expectations about marriage when there is a pregnancy, the proportion of teens who get married after having a child, and the viability of teen marriages themselves. Research suggests that the experience of Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston is far from rare.

• At the time of their child's birth, more than half of unmarried teen mothers say they are either "certain" or chances are "good" they will marry the biological father of their child. However, 8 out of 10 fathers don't ever marry the teen mother of their child.
• Despite high expectations for marriage, fewer than 8% of teen mothers marry their baby's father within one year of the birth of their child.
• Teenagers who have a non-marital birth are also significantly less likely to be married by the age of 35 than those who do not have babies as teens.
• Marriage among teens is rare - in 2002 only 2.5% of teens had ever been married, compared to 11% in 1975.
• As recently as 1980, the majority of teen births (52%) were marital births. By 2002, only 20% of teen births occurred within marriage.
• Teen marriages are twice as likely to fail as marriages in which the woman is at least 25 years old.
• It is also the case that most single mothers of all ages who have a child as a result of an unplanned pregnancy remain single and most cohabiting mothers either continue cohabiting or break up with their partner.

"Marriage and birth patterns among teens have changed over time, shifting from a general trend of marrying before pregnancy, to marrying as a result of pregnancy, to becoming pregnant and not marrying," said Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Even though many unmarried teen mothers have high expectations for eventually marrying the father of their child, few ever do."