Teenage pregnancy is a worldwide problem that accompanies the initiation of sexual activity at increasingly younger ages. This unique reference resource provides students with cross-cultural comparisons of the issues associated with teenage pregnancy. How do different cultures deal with this problem? How has the problem changed in recent years? What programs have been initiated to try to control the problem? Answers to these and other questions for fifteen different countries are explored in detail to give a global perspective and to challenge students to think about how the problem should be addressed.

The fifteen countries represented have been carefully chosen to represent the different regions of the world. Student researchers can use this resource to study the similarities that cross national and regional boundaries despite the varying needs and experiences of adolescents around the world. By understanding the history of teenage pregnancy and how it is viewed both socially and politically in each of the countries, students can come to an understanding of how it affects the world, what its dangers are, and how we can come up with a comprehensive strategy for preventing and coping with it everywhere.