Kenya has the third highest teen pregnancy rate globally. One in every five adolescents aged 15-19 is already a mother or pregnant with her first child. Teenage pregnancy, female genital mutilation (FGM), and early or child marriage are intricately related in that they have common root causes that are anchored in gender inequality, social and cultural decays and poverty.
According to Unicef, factors contributing to teenage pregnancy include poverty, drug and substance abuse, lack of parental guidance, early sexual debut, harmful cultural practices, sexual abuse or violence and barriers to access to sexual and reproductive health education and services.
Data from the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) show that 55 percent of unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls aged 15–19 years end in abortions, which often endangers their lives.
Studies indicate that adolescent mothers are less likely to earn more than their peers. This makes them vulnerable to abuse in relationships.
An unintended birth at an early age has the potential to interrupt a woman’s education, with implications for her future career and earnings. Women with early births are less likely to complete their education at whichever level. Even for women already enrolled in colleges, those with children are less likely to graduate.
Without a college education, a woman is unable to pursue a career that requires a professional qualification. Women without a college education are also less likely to obtain managerial positions.
Therefore, derailing a girl’s education has the potential to impact future earnings and poverty status.
A 2022 World Bank report entitled, The Social and Educational Consequences of Adolescent Childbearing posits that teenage mothers are less likely to continue going to school, which prevents them from realising their full potential and finding better economic opportunities, and often results in reduced lifetime earnings.
Improving the socio-economic growth for girls and young women is important not only to the beneficiaries themselves but also to their communities and the next generation.
