Early childbearing and poverty: implications for social services

Economic problems are among the most adverse consequences associated with early childbearing. This paper looks at various social services to determine whether current services are assisting teenage mothers who liver at or below the poverty line to move toward greater productivity and self-sufficiency in adulthood. The results of a national survey of public social services to teenage mothers show that not only are current services inadequate, but are lacking in areas which are directly related to the future economic well-being of early child-bearing females. Public social services appear to be ineffectual in alleviating the conditions that lead to poverty, namely deficits connected with education, employment, home management and family planning. Black and Hispanic teenage mothers were found to be at highest risk of poverty conditions due to their greater dependence on public agencies. The implications of these service deficiencies are discussed in relation to the future economic welfare of these teenage mothers and the need for a restructuring of social services in the traditional child welfare sector.