A girl is far more likely to become a teenage mum if she has a sister who has already become one, a new academic study shows. ‘The research says how important family is compared to institutions,’ says one of the researchers Professor Carol Propper. The ‘peer effect’ on girls aged 16 to 18, raised the chances of becoming a teenage mother from about one in five to two in five. The researchers, who conducted the study, said the effect was stronger when sisters were closer together in age, and also from poorer households. The study concluded that the ‘peer effect’ had a greater impact on teenage pregnancy than any education or advice they are given at school. ‘These findings provide strong evidence that the contagious effect of teen motherhood in siblings is larger than the general effect of being better educated. ‘This suggests that more policies aimed directly at decreasing teenage pregnancy may be needed in order to reduce teen births.’

Pray: for a better understanding of how to reach vulnerable girls to help them make better informed life choices. (Ex.18:20)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/sisters-of-teen-mums-more-likely-to-have-babies-young/