Numerous studies have established that women who give birth during their adolescent years fare worse in the labor market and attain fewer years of education compared to women who give birth at older ages.

Relatively less is known about their children's outcomes, and whether they too are disadvantaged. In a new paper entitled "Grandparents, Moms, or Dads? Why Children of Teen Mothers Do Worse in Life," PSTC Faculty Associate and Professor of Economics Anna Aizer and colleagues use Norwegian register data to compare outcomes of children of sisters who have first births at different ages.

They find that while there are still significant long-term, adverse consequences, especially for children born to the youngest teen mothers, these may be due to socioeconomic status and lower levels of fathers' education levels and cognitive test scores. Read study.