A new Pew Research Center report recently found that teen birth rates in Latinas have plunged at least 40%, contributing significantly to the nation’s record-low teen birth rate in nearly every state.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the current teen birth rate for all teens is 31.3 births for every 1,000 American teens. While Latinas are currently above the American average, they have seen a significant decrease from 2007 through 2011 out of all ethnic groups.
Various factors can be responsible, but no one can really say what’s driving the decline for sure. Experts believe the recession and changing views of societies are significant key factors, but the report suggests that second- and third-generation families are having more influence.
“There is more attention on education, career, and the future,” said Dr. Janet Realini, head of Healthy Futures of Texas, a San Antonio-based organization focused on preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies. As time goes on, Latinos – like other immigrant groups before them, tend to adopt American customs and practices.
According to the report, three out of four Latino teens – 86% of third-generation Latino teens – called teen pregnancies “a bad thing for society.”
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