by David Popenoe

About the author: David Popenoe is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University.

Throughout the history of the world, until the modern era, teen pregnancies were the norm. When a young girl became sexually mature she was married off and soon accomplished that for which she is biologically designed: giving birth to the next generation. Teen pregnancies are still the norm in much of the developing world. Each child born to a young girl normally is considered a blessing.

Not a Blessing but a Curse

But in the developed nations the situation is different. The networks to help the teen mothers—composed of grandmothers; large, extended families; intimate neighborhoods; and working fathers—are seldom in existence. More importantly, women are expected to become educated and, for many, have secure employment before they bear...