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La Consolacion University Philippines Catmon, City of Malolos, Bulacan
La Consolacion University Philippines Catmon, City of Malolos, Bulacan
La Consolacion University Philippines Catmon, City of Malolos, Bulacan
Blessing naman daw: The Relationship between Poverty and Loss of Teenage Pregnancy
Submitted by:
Cruz, Niño
Mesias, Lewell
Royeras, Stephen Joseph
Somedo, Daryn
Villamayor Edcel Joyce
STEM-6
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The Philippines has recorded a total of 180,916 live births among adolescents aged 10 to
19 in 2019, according to the data from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System of the
Philippine Statistics Authority. The figure is equivalent to 495 live births per day in the 10 to 19
age group. (Gita-Carlos, 2021). Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of teen pregnancy.
More than 60% of young, unmarried mothers live in households that qualify as being in poverty.
1 in 4 young mothers will go on a welfare benefit program within three years of their child being
born. Being a teen mother also means having less access to educational programs, which
According to the Philippines Statistic Authority (2019), the Philippines’ population will
reach 108.8 million by 2020. More than 53 million people are under the age of 25, with 10.3
million teenage girls (10-19 years old). Countries having a “demographic window of
opportunity” and significant proportions of the population young people in countries like the
Philippines have the chance to accelerate their development. If smart investments are made, the
Early childbirth may have negative health consequences and pose a risk to the country’s
economic prosperity. Pregnant teenagers are less likely to finish higher education and have a
lower lifetime earning potential, resulting in economic costs for the country. According to the
Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2017),
the percentage of young women who have started childbearing is lower in urban regions than in
rural ones (7 percent versus 10 percent). Teen moms have a lower chance of graduating from
high school. They have a substantially higher chance of dropping out of college. When it comes
to finding a well paying work, this puts individuals at a disadvantage. The proof is indisputable.
The median income for college graduates has increased by 19 percent in the last two decades,
while the median income for high school dropouts has plummeted by 28 percent.
Furthermore, the people’s lives and ways of life have been affected by the constant
parental income and the extent of a girl’s education, which is causes more of the cases.
Education is clearly the one thing that can break the cycle of teen pregnancy. Yet, according to
information from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, this is
exactly what teen mothers are not receiving. Poverty has a negative effect on the children born
into these situations as well. This struggle creates an intergenerational complication which
encourages poverty because there is an overall lack of resources available to teen households.
The discussions on teenage pregnancy have begun. As a result, the goal of this study was to
evaluate the link between poverty and opportunities for teenage pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancy is mostly driven by poverty and economic status where dowry is an
income for the poor families as well as reducing families’ expenses; the practice also relies on
cultural, traditional, and religious motives. Teenage pregnancy dramatically limits a girl’s access
to formal education; thus, the poverty cycle keeps on rotating in her family. Many adolescent
girls in poor nations, on the other hand, see marriage to secure their future and protect
themselves. As a result, the primary goal of the article was to determine if poverty is a key factor
in adolescent pregnancies. Although the participants acknowledged that other variables had a
role, they believed that poverty was the leading cause of adolescent pregnancy (85 percent).
Findings show that teen pregnancies are primarily motivated by poverty and economic status,
with dowry serving as both an income source and a cost-cutting measure for impoverished
families; the practice also has cultural, traditional, and religious roots. Teenage pregnancy
severely restricts a girl's access to formal education, perpetuating the poverty cycle in her family.
child support subsidies and encouraging young and rescued moms to return to formal education.
Sexuality, teen pregnancy, and poverty reduction should all be incorporated in the curriculum
This research utilized geographical critical points to try to link the Philippines' poverty
problem. The convenience with which an individual can access the social services and economic
possibilities put out in a geographical area is referred to as area. (Fillone,2011) The geographical
mobility ratings were calculated by determining how each barangay, namely families, would use
public assistance (such as schools and hospitals) and financial opportunities available in the town
center or main economic areas. The duration factor was used to measure the ease or difficulty of
obtaining these public assistance and work development to link accessibility to poverty
indicators
in the barangay. (Roxas,2011) Linear regressions models were created to link poverty indicators
to measures of geographical accessibility and then evaluated to see if they had an impact on
poverty. (Dakila,2011)
Population Fund the Philippines has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among the
ASEAN member states. An average of 64,000 teenage girls, age 18 and below, give birth every
year with a seven percent increase in childbirth for very young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years
old recorded in 2019. The agency counted 70,755 teen pregnancies. By the end of 2021, it is
projected to reach somewhere between 133,000 and 200,000, alarming figures considering one in
These teenage mothers are predominantly poor, reside in rural areas and have low
educational attainment. This paper observes a trend of increasing proportions of teenagers who
are not poor, who have better education and are residents of urban areas, who have begun
childbearing in their teens. Among the factors that could help explain this trend are the younger
age at menarche, premarital sexual activity at a young age, the rise in cohabiting unions in this
age group and the possible decrease in the stigma of out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
(Natividad,2013)
. The Philippines faced this truth as it joined a global population and development
conference where it committed to reduce poverty and go all out in fully implementing sexual and
reproductive health policies amid high pregnancy incidence among girls aged 15-19, now a
Secretary Ernesto Pernia committed before world leaders and planners at the just-concluded
Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 that the government will focus on sexual and reproductive health
policies, with heightened attention to maternal and infant health programs such as the first 1,000
days support initiative for pregnant women and children. (Natividad,2013) Popcom Executive
Director and Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III told Business Mirror on Thursday that 57
percent of young parents already fall among the poorest 40% of the population. This will be a
concern in terms of poverty figures, particularly next year. According to UPPI estimates, the
Teenagers are affected by teen pregnancy, which is becoming a public health problem.
The focus of this research is to investigate the many environmental factors that may influence
early pregnancy among teenagers. (Mangaoil,2021) As the mortality rates related with teen
pregnancy rise, it has become a worldwide and public health problem. Pregnancy rates have been
steadily dropping worldwide for the past two decades. This is not the situation in the Philippines,
although little is known about its history because most research have concentrated on the
pregnancy.
Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions:
Pregnancy. The concerns of the researcher are the high school student from public school in
Bulacan.
This study will be limitative to Junior and senior high school student of the five public
school in Bulacan. The respondents will be clustered based on their age bracket. The researcher