Latina adolescents' perceptions of their male partners' influences on childbearing: findings from a qualitative study in California
Teenage births among Latina women living in the USA remain higher than any other racial/ethnic group. This study explored the role that male partners play in the occurrence of pregnancy and their influence on teenage mothers' future plans in a sample of women pregnant with their first
child. Qualitative analysis revealed that partners played a significant role in the use of contraception, timing and desire for pregnancy and young women's post-pregnancy plans for education, work and childrearing. Men's older age, concerns about contraceptive use and fertility, reluctance
to use condoms, and readiness for parenthood put their partners at increased risk for pregnancy. More acculturated men were supportive of young women's educational goals in many cases, whereas less acculturated males subscribed to more rigid gender roles which required that their partners
remain at home after the birth of their child. These findings have important implications for programmes that seek to reduce teenage pregnancy in the US Latino population.
Keywords: Latina; USA; educational attainment; immigration; male partners; teenage pregnancy
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, USA
Publication date: 01 September 2011
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