Impact of schooling on teenage pregnancy: a multilevel analysis by province in Ecuador for the year 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25097/rep.n44.2026.03Keywords:
territorial inequality, early pregnancy, human capital, multilevel analysisAbstract
This study examines the impact that educational attainment has on adolescent pregnancy in Ecuador during 2019, using descriptive statistical analysis, probabilistic discrete choice models, and a multilevel analysis at two levels: individual and provincial. The data come from INEC sources: ENSANUT and ENEMDU. The results reveal that 15.8% of young women became pregnant that year, with an educational gap of 1.2 years between those who experienced this situation and those who did not. Completing one additional year of schooling reduces the likelihood of adolescent motherhood by 3.4%, showing greater effectiveness at earlier stages of education. At the territorial level, provinces with higher population density and greater economic development show a 59.2% higher probability of adolescent pregnancy. This issue primarily affects rural communities and vulnerable ethnic groups, highlighting the need to design geographically contextualized government strategies that promote access to education and sexual and reproductive education initiatives.
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