The impacts of early motherhood on the short-term socioeconomics outcomes of Brazilians adolescents

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy is a complex phenomenon associated with numerous economic, educational and behavioral aspects. Studies in Brazil and in others countries are concerned to present a strong association between the age at which women have their first child and the social and economic indicators relating to future results. In line with these studies, the objective of this research is to analyze the impact of early motherhood on the short-term economic results of Brazilian adolescents. To address the problem of endogeneity in the relationship between children and socioeconomic outcomes, this paper proposes the use of stillbirth for the construction of the counterfactual of interest. There are evidences of significant negatives impacts on the development of schooling. It is estimated a reduction by 18.8 percentage points of the probability of attending school and by 10 percentage points in the probability of have complete at least the primary education. Furthermore, evidence shows that the presence of children also reduces in 13.7 p.p the chances of adolescents participate in the labor market.