iCeGS - International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby
Abstract
Teenage pregnancy is more common in some areas and among some groups of young women. Rates of teenage pregnancy in socially deprived areas are higher than the national average. Because of its association with deprivation, in 1999 the Social Exclusion Unit set out targets to Local Authorities to reduce the numbers of conceptions and increase the participation of young mothers in education, training and employment. Progress towards reducing conceptions has been steady but slow as the figure below from Nottinghamshire shows. It remains concentrated in geographic ‘hot spots’ in both the City and the County. Similarly fewer than 30% of young mothers in the City or the County are in education, employment or training. This research sought to find out more about these young women. Through interviews and data analysis the research explored the motivations and factors that influence when or whether a young mother will return to the labour market.East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnershi