Partners of Underage Girls Focus of Study

Contrary to popular beliefs about the widespread dangers of predatory older men, two-thirds of girls under the age of 18 have partners who are close to their age, and only 7% have partners six or more years older, according to a comprehensive study released today.

Still, researchers found that age-imbalanced relationships have troublesome consequences: 70% of unmarried girls with older partners became pregnant--a rate nearly four times higher than that of girls with partners who were no more than two years older.

“The good news for legislators and parents is that the problem of older guys with younger girls has been somewhat exaggerated. The bad news is that it’s still a very real problem,” said Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The report, published in the journal Family Planning Perspectives by the Allan Guttmacher Institute, brings new perspectives to the image of the older man as a villain, which some experts say is oversimplified. The study is the first to measure age differences in ongoing relationships, and not just at the time of first sex or in relationships that result in pregnancy.

Although the researchers were reluctant to discuss the policy implications of their study, some pregnancy prevention groups said the message to parents is clear: “They really need to take a stand against [their daughters] dating older guys,” Albert said, summing up the current position taken by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Although sexual relationships between young girls and older men have historically been censured, public concern over the issue escalated when studies in 1995 showed that at least half of all babies of teenage mothers were fathered by adult men. Almost immediately, policymakers across the nation set out to enforce statutory rape laws, hoping to prevent teenage pregnancy by jailing predatory older men.

“This study is a great contribution, it’s the first time this kind of data has been available. Previous studies focused on mothers, so you never saw the experiences of girls who never got pregnant,” said Laura Duberstein Lindberg, a researcher at the Urban Institute.

The study analyzed three different data sources for the period of 1994-1995: a national survey of 10,847 women and girls; a Guttmacher Institute abortion survey covering 9,985; and national data on more than 5 million pregnancies in 1994. With a broader picture of relationship dynamics, the authors were able to explore how age differences relate to several variables: use of contraception, pregnancy and abortion rates, and whether a pregnancy was desired, for example.

“Until now we had no idea of what the pattern of male involvement in abortion or contraceptive use was,” said David Landry of the Guttmacher Institute, and an author of the study.

Although the report does not specifically address male behavior, it showed that girls with partners six or more years older were less likely than those with partners close to their age to have had an abortion, to say that their pregnancy was unintended, and to have used contraception at last intercourse.

Therefore, relationships between young girls and adult men seem to be more “marital,” said Mike Males of UC Davis, who has done extensive research on the subject.

“What this study shows very well is that adult and teen sexuality are integrated,” said Males, in the sense that young females, like their elders, tend to choose older mates.

Many of those alarmed by the 60,000 teenage pregnancies in California every year do not realize that about 35,000 involve girls ages 18 and 19, who are technically adults, Males said.

The Guttmacher findings will open the door to a better understanding of the multifaceted issue of teenage pregnancy, others say.

“Why are some teen girls attracted to older men? Are these relationships based on coercion, or do girls seek a stable provider?” said Lindberg, adding that these alternatives carry different implications at the policy level.

Experts also believe the new study supports the notion that aggressively pursuing all statutory rape cases--as proposed by some policymakers--might not be the best way to prevent teenage pregnancy. Since the highest risk comes in situations where the age difference is big, they say, it might be wiser to focus efforts on the more extreme violations, as is now the case in California.

“The average prosecution involves a significant age difference. We’re focusing on 13- to 15-year-old [girls],” said Allen Sawyer, chief deputy director of California’s office of criminal justice planning.

Of the 2,796 statutory rape cases filed during 1997-1998 in the state, the average age of the defendant was 20 to 24 (about 17% were over the age of 30). About 57% of the victims became pregnant.

Experts said it remains critical to determine why, when there is a vast age gap in relationships, the risk of pregnancy remains so high. One missing part of the picture is what drives older men to seek relationships with young girls.

“The psychology is just one part of the puzzle,” said UC Davis professor Ken Chew. “Part is economic and legal circumstances. Part is what’s the biological component here, and also the cultural component.”

Albert and others said the focus of study needs to move beyond the female.

“We need to involve boys and men in these issues,” he said.

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Teenage Pregnancy

Minor-girls sexually involved with older men are relatively few, but run a much higher risk of getting pregnant. Their likelihood of seeking an abortion, however, is lower than that of girls with partners of closer age.

* PREVENTING THE PAIN

Schools, programs try to reach teenagers who find themselves in abusive relationships. B2