These are important pathways through which teenage motherhood can influence neonatal mortality.
The most common focus of activity was in relationship to maternity and public policies directed towards motherhood.
However, it is interesting to note that the primary administrative categories for welfare entitlement have remained largely unaltered - motherhood, childhood, old age and disability.
In order to secure support for their children, past women needed to present marriage and motherhood as public not merely private concerns.
Motherhood was considered a social duty and the widow who deserted her offspring was shirking her responsibility to society.
These findings demonstrate the need to take a differentiated approach to understanding teen childbearing and varying developmental pathways in the prediction of teen motherhood.
A second larger group of females in our study do not appear to be at increased likelihood for teen motherhood until the later adolescent years.
It should not be surprising to find that motherhood is a preferable option if the alternative is to work for inadequate wages.