LA CONSOLACION UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

CATMON, CITY OF MALOLOS, BULACAN

BASIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Blessing naman daw: The Relationship between Poverty and Loss of Teenage Pregnancy

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Submitted by:
Cruz, Niño
Mesias, Lewell
Royeras, Stephen Joseph
Somedo, Daryn
Villamayor Edcel Joyce

STEM-6

Ms. Maricar S. Dimla

CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The Philippines has recorded a total of 180,916 live births among adolescents aged 10 to

19 in 2019, according to the data from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System of the

Philippine Statistics Authority. The figure is equivalent to 495 live births per day in the 10 to 19

age group. (Gita-Carlos, 2021)

According to the Philippines Statistic Authority (2019), the Philippines’ population will

reach 108.8 million by 2020. More than 53 million people are under the age of 25, with 10.3

million teenage girls (10-19 years old). Countries having a “demographic window of

opportunity” and significant proportions of the population young people in countries like the

Philippines have the chance to accelerate their development. If smart investments are made, the

development will occur. This is a well-known occurrence. As the “demographic dividend”

(addressed in Chapter 13 of the book) 2017-2022 Philippine Development Plan.

Early childbirth may have negative health consequences and pose a risk to the country’s

economic prosperity. Pregnant teenagers are less likely to finish higher education and have a

lower lifetime earning potential, resulting in economic costs for the country. According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2017),

the percentage of young women who have started childbearing is lower in urban regions than in

rural ones (7 percent versus 10 percent).

Furthermore, the people’s lives and ways of life have been affected by the constant

parental income and the extent of a girl’s education, which is causes more of the cases. The

discussions on teenage pregnancy have begun. As a result, the goal of this study was to evaluate

the link between poverty and opportunities for teenage pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancy is mostly driven by poverty and economic status where dowry is an

income for the poor families as well as reducing families’ expenses; the practice also relies on

cultural, traditional, and religious motives. Teenage pregnancy dramatically limits a girl’s access

to formal education; thus, the poverty cycle keeps on rotating in her family. Many adolescent

girls in poor nations, on the other hand, see marriage to secure their future and protect

themselves. As a result, the primary goal of the article was to determine if poverty is a key factor

in adolescent pregnancies. Although the participants acknowledged that other variables had a

role, they believed that poverty was the leading cause of adolescent pregnancy (85 percent).

Findings show that teen pregnancies are primarily motivated by poverty and economic status,

with dowry serving as both an income source and a cost-cutting measure for impoverished

families; the practice also has cultural, traditional, and religious roots. Teenage pregnancy

severely restricts a girl's access to formal education, perpetuating the poverty cycle in her family.

As a result, it is advised that government policies encourage poverty reduction by providing

child support subsidies and encouraging young and rescued moms to return to formal education.

Sexuality, teen pregnancy, and poverty reduction should all be incorporated in the curriculum

beginning in elementary school. (Ngunjiri N.,2011)

This research utilized geographical critical points to try to link the Philippines' poverty

problem. The convenience with which an individual can access the social services and economic

possibilities put out in a geographical area is referred to as area. (Fillone,2011) The geographical

mobility ratings were calculated by determining how each barangay, namely families, would use

public assistance (such as schools and hospitals) and financial opportunities available in the town

center or main economic areas. The duration factor was used to measure the ease or difficulty of
obtaining these public assistance and work development to link accessibility to poverty

indicators

in the barangay. (Roxas,2011) Linear regressions models were created to link poverty indicators

to measures of geographical accessibility and then evaluated to see if they had an impact on

poverty. (Dakila,2011)

Teenage pregnancy is national social emergency. According to the United Nations

Population Fund the Philippines has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among the

ASEAN member states. An average of 64,000 teenage girls, age 18 and below, give birth every

year with a seven percent increase in childbirth for very young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years

old recorded in 2019. The agency counted 70,755 teen pregnancies. By the end of 2021, it is

projected to reach somewhere between 133,000 and 200,000, alarming figures considering one in

five Filipinos still live below the poverty line. (Cunanan,2021)

These teenage mothers are predominantly poor, reside in rural areas and have low

educational attainment. This paper observes a trend of increasing proportions of teenagers who

are not poor, who have better education and are residents of urban areas, who have begun

childbearing in their teens. Among the factors that could help explain this trend are the younger

age at menarche, premarital sexual activity at a young age, the rise in cohabiting unions in this

age group and the possible decrease in the stigma of out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

(Natividad,2013)

. The Philippines faced this truth as it joined a global population and development

conference where it committed to reduce poverty and go all out in fully implementing sexual and
reproductive health policies amid high pregnancy incidence among girls aged 15-19, now a

national concern requiring urgent intervention. In a country statement, Socioeconomic Planning

Secretary Ernesto Pernia committed before world leaders and planners at the just-concluded

Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 that the government will focus on sexual and reproductive health

policies, with heightened attention to maternal and infant health programs such as the first 1,000

days support initiative for pregnant women and children. (Natividad,2013) Popcom Executive

Director and Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III told Business Mirror on Thursday that 57

percent of young parents already fall among the poorest 40% of the population. This will be a

concern in terms of poverty figures, particularly next year. According to UPPI estimates, the

lockdowns boosted teen pregnancies by 21.04 percent. (Ordinario,2020)

Teenagers are affected by teen pregnancy, which is becoming a public health problem.

The focus of this research is to investigate the many environmental factors that may influence

early pregnancy among teenagers. (Mangaoil,2021) As the mortality rates related with teen

pregnancy rise, it has become a worldwide and public health problem. Pregnancy rates have been

steadily dropping worldwide for the past two decades. This is not the situation in the Philippines,

although little is known about its history because most research have concentrated on the

implications of adolescent parenthood. (Odhiambo,2018)

pregnancy.

Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. How can poverty be described in terms of:

1.1 Lack of financial support:

1.2 Hunger: and 

1.3 Health Issues

2. What are the opportunities that have been lost?

3. Is there a significant relationship between poverty and loss of teenage pregnancy?

Scope and Delimitation

Pregnancy. The concerns of the researcher are the high school student from public school in

Bulacan.

This study will be limitative to Junior and senior high school student of the five public

school in Bulacan. The respondents will be clustered based on their age bracket. The researcher

will be conducted the study on the month of August to May 2022.