Poverty, welfare and single teenage mothers: a primary health care concern.

This paper draws upon the international literature to support the thesis that poverty is more the cause, then the effect, of single teenage childbearing. The paper demonstrates that the rate of single teenage births has dramatically declined over the past twenty years while the level of government support for sole parents has significantly increased over the same period (an example of current rates of payment is included). The author asserts that there is no direct relationship between the level of welfare support and the incidence of adolescent childbearing. Midwives who function as primary health care providers should be aware of the socio-political environment as it affects disadvantaged young women.