ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the demographic facts concerning teenage single parents and the outlook for their children. The percentage of American children living with two parents has declined from 85 percent in 1970 to 72 percent in 1991. For black children the proportion decreased from 68 percent in 1970 to 43 percent in 1991. Of the 5.8 million black children living with one parent in 1991. 5-5 million lived with their mother. Although the facts concerning black teenage mothers as just presented are accurate, they present a distorted picture. They fuel negative stereotypes and faulty interpretations. There are three reasons for the increased likelihood of health problems for the children of poor young single women: poor prenatal care, living in unhealthful conditions, and being without medical insurance. Each of these reasons is tied to poverty because poor people receive inadequate medical attention in the United States.
