Numerous studies have examined the antecedents of early motherhood, and these provide good evidence that young
mothers are more likely to come from poorer families, to have experienced family disruption and to have low
educational attainment. However, the pathways through which childhood antecedents influence early motherhood
are less known and likely to be important. Using data from a 1970 cohort of British women, this paper builds
on previous work and uses structural equation modelling to consider the timing of events explicitly – in early
childhood, preadolescence and adolescence. Our findings suggest that, educational test scores and socioeconomic
characteristics are important pathways to early childbearing. In addition, perrsonality traits have an important
mediating effect on young motherhood, particularly during adolescence.
Presented by:
Carmen Huerta (Lodon School of Economics)
Date & time:
October 30, 2006 4:00 pm - October 30, 2006 12:00 am
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