Bangladesh 1993-1994 Demographic and Health ... - Measure DHS

Table 3.14 shows the percentage of teenagers age 15-19 who are mothers or pregnant with their firstchild, according to various background characteristics. Twenty-seven percent of teenage women inBangladesh are mothers and another 6 percent are pregnant with their first child. Thus, one in three teenagewomen has begun childbearing. There has been a slight decline in this proportion over time; data from the1991 CPS indicate that in that year 36 percent of teenage women had either given birth or were pregnant withtheir first child (Mitra et al., 1993:38).As expected, the proportion of women who have begun childbearing rises rapidly with age, from l 1percent of those age 15 to 59 percent of those age 19 (see Table 3.14). Those residing in rural areas, thoseresiding in Rajshahi Division, and those with no education are also more likely than others to have begunchildbearing. These differentials parallel the differentials documented earlier about patterns in current andcumulative fertility.Table 3.14 Teenage pregnancy and motherhoodPercentage of teenagers 15-19 who are mothers or pregnant with their firstchild, by selected background characteristics, Bangladesh 1993-94Percentage who are: Percentagewho havePregnant begun NumberBackground with first child- ofcharacteristic Mothers child bearing teenagersAge15 6.8 3.8 10.6 61516 17.1 6.2 23.4 56617 32.1 6,5 38,7 46318 38.5 6.5 45.1 53919 54.4 4.7 59.2 382ResidenceUrbanRural16.029,04.25.720.334.83212246DivisionBarisalChittagong27.418.06.27.133.625.1159797Dhaka 30.2 3.4 33.7 727Khulna 29.0 5.9 34.9 320Rajshahi 35.4 5.6 41.0 575EducationNo education 39.2 5.6 44.8 913Primary incomplete 29.1 6.8 35.9 541Primary completeSecondary/Higher26.712.67.73.734.416.3302849Total 27.4 5.6 33.0 2566Note: Numbers may not add to total due to slight differences in thefactors used to inflate ever-married to all women by backgroundcharacteristics.37