ABSTRACT
Public concern about teenage childbearing has been fueled by concern about the negative consequences for teen mothers and their children, and the related social and economic costs to society (Maynard, 1997; for an alternate view, see Nathanson, 1991). The majority of research and policy discussion has centered on teen mothers and their children, with little attention to teen fatherhood, its magnitude, causes, and consequences for the father and his child. Previous research indicates that teen fathers are more likely to leave school early and to have unstable marriages than men who delay fatherhood, which, in turn, has potential economic, social, and developmental consequences for the young men, their children, and their partners (Brien & Willis, 1997; Card & Wise, 1978; Elster, Lamb, & Tavare, 1987; Gibbs, 1988; Lerman & Ooms, 1993; Marsiglio, 1987; Spingarn & Durant, 1996; Tbomberry, Smith, & Howard, 1997).
