Despite the revolution in contraception, early pregnancy is still characteristic of a small part of the American society. In 2014, 11 percent of teenage girls aged 15-17 and 7 percent aged 18-19 became young mothers. As a matter of fact, these figures considerably dropped for the last decades which can be linked to the popularization of birth control tools and family planning. The teenage birth rates in America are higher than in other Western countries. It can be explained by ethnic and racial differences. Asian and European American girls have the lowest levels of teenage pregnancy while African Americans and Hispanic are on the top of the list.
Teenage pregnancy is mostly stimulated by socioeconomic factors. Poor education and low family income are immanent to girls getting pregnant at the early age. The federal government regularly allocates money on the prevention of teenage pregnancy and subsidies to health and foster care. Apparently, girls raised in foster families have higher chances to become pregnant at the early age than those who live with biological parents.
Teenage pregnancy frequently turns into a financial challenge for the families. Low-income households can hardly allow themselves to take care of one more child. Parents are expecting their daughters to graduate, find a job, become economically stable, and only then have a family, but instead they are notified of becoming grandparents in a while. An unplanned child can be a disaster to parents who are neither morally nor financially ready to raise them.