Trends and Causes of Socio-economic Inequality In Teenage Pregnancy and Childbearing in Tanzania

Authors

Magashi JosephFollow
Asela Miho, Dar es Salaam University College of Education University of Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaFollow

Abstract

The paper analyses the trends and causes of socioeconomic inequalities in teenage pregnancy and childbearing in Tanzania using the 2004/05, 2009/10 and 2015/16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) data. The analysis of trends and causes of socioeconomic-inequality uses a representative sample of 7,450 teenagers who were pregnant or had a child during the survey. Teenagers were obtained from a multi-stage sampling technique. Erreygers Index (EI) and its decomposition are used in the analyses. The EI indicates a significant increase in the magnitude of inequalities in teenage pregnancy and childbearing over time. Further, there exists a pro-poor inequality in teenage pregnancy and childbearing. A decomposition analysis revealed that the major contributors to teenage pregnancy and childbearing includes early marriage, early sexual debut, and teen education. The lack of social and economic capital provides a possible explanation for the observed results. We thus argue for compulsory secondary education and reproductive health education, as well as addressing wealth inequalities, to redress the situation in Tanzania.

Recommended Citation

Joseph, Magashi and Miho, Asela (2021) "Trends and Causes of Socio-economic Inequality In Teenage Pregnancy and Childbearing in Tanzania," Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 10 : No. 2 , Article 5.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v10.i2.1