Adolescent fertility in low- and middle-income countries: effects and solutions

Adolescent fertility in low- and middle-income countries presents a severe impediment to development. However, there is debate about whether adolescent pregnancy is a problem in and of itself or merely symptomatic of deeper, ingrained disadvantage. This paper aggregates recent quantitative evidence on the socioeconomic consequences of and methods to reduce of teenage pregnancy in the developing world. It finds variable results for all indicator types with the partial exception of knowledge-based indicators, though it is not clear that such interventions necessarily lead to behaviour change. The authors argue that donors should adopt a rights-based approach to adolescent fertility and shift their focus from the proximate to distal causes of pregnancy, including human rights abuses, gender inequality, child marriage, and socioeconomic marginalisation.