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3 Teenage pregnancy indicators (England):
- a) a reduction in the rate of conceptions for those aged under 18; and
- b) an increase in the proportion of teenage mothers who are in education, employment or training.
Baseline and trends:
a) Baseline year –1998. The under-18 conception rate fell between 1971 and 1981 and then rose until 1991. The rate fell again until 1995 but then rose following a contraceptive pill scare, reaching a peak in 1998. Since 1998, the rate has fallen by 11.8 per cent. The rate for the year 2005 is 41.1 per thousand females aged 15 to 17, the lowest rate for 20 years.
b) Baseline data based on three-year average for the years 1997–99. The proportion of teenage mothers who are in education, employment or training in England has risen slightly from 23.1 per cent for the period 1997–99 to 31.5 per cent in the period 2005–07.
| 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | Baseline 1998 |
1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54.7 | 38.7 | 45.5 | 43.3 | 42.1 | 41.6 | 41.6 | 45.9 | 45.5 | 46.6 | 44.8 | 43.6 | 42.5 | 42.6 | 42.1 | 41.5 | 41.1 |
Note: Percentage rate in change calculated using un-rounded rates. |
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Proportion of teenage mothers in education, training or employment (England)
Definition: The under-18 conception rate is the number of conceptions (resulting in one or more live births, or legal abortions) to females under 18, per 1,000 females aged 15–17. The figures on teenage mothers not in education, employment or training are for the 16 to 19-year-old age range.
These data present the proportion of teenage mothers who are in education, employment or training, on a three-year average basis rather than individual years. This takes account of relatively small sample sizes.
Data source: Office for National Statistics Conception Statistics (England) and Labour Force Survey, April – June quarters (England). Data for England are reported to reflect the coverage of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy.
Linked to Teenage Pregnancy Strategy goals: (1) To halve the rate of teenage conceptions among under-18s in England by 2010 (in relation to a 1998 baseline). (2) To reduce the risk of long-term social exclusion by getting more teenage parents into education, training or employment, and specifically to increase the proportion of teenage mothers in education, training and employment to 60 per cent by 2010.
Further information
Further information about the Labour Force survey can be found at: www.statistics.gov.uk/ssd/surveys/labour_force_survey.asp
Further information on the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy is available on the DCSF Every Child Matters website at: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/teenagepregnancy/
Research Evidence
“Teenage Parenthood and Social Exclusion: a multi-method study”
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW57.pdf
“Consequences of Teenage Parenthood: Pathways which Minimise the Long-Term Negative Impacts of Teenage Childbearing”
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW52.pdf
“An Exploration of the Teenage Parenting Experiences of Young People of Black and Minority Ethnic Origin in England”
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW41.pdf
“Reaching Out to Pregnant Teenagers and Teenage Parents: Innovative Practice from Sure Start Plus Pilot Programmes”
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/Reachingout.pdf
“Living on the Edge: Sexual Behaviour and Young Parenthood in Rural and Seaside Areas” (Research Briefing)
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW 8.pdf