Abstract:
The paper studies associations between a womans age at becoming a mother and subsequent outcomes, such as her living standard, when she is aged 30-51. The data come from the British Household Panel Survey over the years 1991-2001. The analysis suggests that having a teen-birth, particularly when aged under 18, constrains a womans opportunities in the marriage market in the sense that she finds it more difficult to find and retain a partner, and she partners with more unemployment-prone and lower earning men. Teenage mothers are much less likely to be a homeowner later in life, and her living standard, as measured by equivalent household income, is about 20% lower.