Given the popularity of reality shows like "Teen Mom," you would think that the teen pregnancy rate is on the rise. But in fact, in 2009, the teen birth rate fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping.
Surprised? So are experts, who believe it's partly due to the recession.
"I'm not suggesting that teens are examining futures of 401(k)s or how the market is doing," Sarah Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, told The Associated Press.
"But I think they are living in families that experience that stress. They are living next door to families that lost their jobs. ... The recession has touched us all."
The birth rate for teenagers fell to 39 births per 1,000 girls, ages 15 through 19, according to a government report released Tuesday. It was a 6 percent decline from the previous year, and the lowest since health officials started tracking the rate in 1940.
About 4.1 million babies were born to moms of all ages in 2009, down almost 3 percent from 2008. It's the second consecutive drop in births, which had been on the rise since 2000. The overall drop has also been blamed on the recession, according to the AP.
So what do you think? Are teen girls finally realizing that they're not up for supporting a baby? Or does the economy have nothing to do with it?
Surprised? So are experts, who believe it's partly due to the recession.
"I'm not suggesting that teens are examining futures of 401(k)s or how the market is doing," Sarah Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, told The Associated Press.
"But I think they are living in families that experience that stress. They are living next door to families that lost their jobs. ... The recession has touched us all."
The birth rate for teenagers fell to 39 births per 1,000 girls, ages 15 through 19, according to a government report released Tuesday. It was a 6 percent decline from the previous year, and the lowest since health officials started tracking the rate in 1940.
About 4.1 million babies were born to moms of all ages in 2009, down almost 3 percent from 2008. It's the second consecutive drop in births, which had been on the rise since 2000. The overall drop has also been blamed on the recession, according to the AP.
So what do you think? Are teen girls finally realizing that they're not up for supporting a baby? Or does the economy have nothing to do with it?