Former PSC trainee Akilah Wise and PSC researchers Arline Geronimus and Pamela Smock find that early educational disadvantage may be a stronger driver of unintended pregnancy than educational attainment. That is, amount of education in itself is a less important risk factor in unintended pregnancy than early disadvantage, which may shape young girls’ expectations for young adulthood. Wise says: “If we want to fully understand the root causes of unwanted pregnancy, we need to look deeper into the drivers of intention — including how thought processes and motivations to prevent pregnancy are linked to early educational advantage, structural opportunity and other factors that influence how individual women view pregnancy in relation to their personal futures as workers, partners, community members and professionals.”

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