Abstract

STERN, Claudio. Social vulnerability and adolescent pregnancy in Mexico. Pap. poblac [online]. 2004, vol.10, n.39, pp.129-158. ISSN 2448-7147.

The article explores the role played by social vulnerability in the fact that there is a greater propensity for adolescent pregnancies in certain social contexts. A set of life histories of young women living in diverse socio-cultural contexts is used to illustrate the argument. It is shown how certain elements like permanence in school, access to information and sexual education, opportunities and life aspirations, and the existence of social and family support networks for young women can be influencing the frequency of adolescent pregnancies. Social vulnerability is defined as the set of these elements, and it is proposed that the hypothesis of the relationship between social vulnerability and adolescent pregnancy is tested, based on the results obtained in this study and from existing socio-demographic and health surveys.

Keywords : poverty; social vulnerability; adolescent pregnancy.