A study launched by the United Nations Population Fund Population and Development, called the “Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child,” found that 52% of young women aged 16 stop schooling because of early pregnancy or marriage.

Meanwhile, male youth in grades 6, 9, and 10 stop their education mainly because of lack of interest in studying, the need to look for work, and lack of funds for education.

The study reports that young women commonly get pregnant at the ages of 15 or 16, and those who come from poor families and have mothers with low educational attainment face a higher risk of dropping out of school. Young women with unplanned pregnancies come from families with no regular income, so they lack access to appropriate education and are vulnerable to misinformation.

The issue of early pregnancy or marriage among young women is a serious concern that previous administrations have long ignored and failed to address, according to Gabriela Youth, a group of young women.

A feudal-patriarchal society assign women as the main caretakers of children. Under this system, young women who get pregnant early are expected to focus mainly on caring for their children, and continuing their education becomes secondary.

“Young people also get exposed to decadent Western culture where sex is supposedly a free expression of love without information on the importance of ‘safe sex’. That is why education on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is important while they are still young,” Gabriela Youth explained.

According to data from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), 99.3% of pregnant females aged 9 to 14 have ‘partners’ who are 15 years old or older, older than themselves. This kind of relationship is called “grooming” and usually happens in poor communities in urban and rural areas.

“As poverty worsens in communities, young women cling more to those who promise them a better life to escape hunger. Usually, these are people who are about 10 years older than the young women,” Gabriela Youth said.

The state is heavily accountable for the rising cases of early teen pregnancy because it allocates a low budget to important public services such as health and education, compared to the large budget it gives to intelligence funds.

“The government should provide quality education, access to basic social services, and regular jobs with livable wages for women to solve the problem of rising cases of early pregnancy among young women,” Gabriela Youth urged.