Title IX and the education of teen mothers

Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments to the Civil Rights Act (Title IX) made it illegal for an institution receiving Federal funding to exclude pregnant/parenting teens from the classroom. During the 1970s, education outcomes improved for all women but especially for teen mothers. I examine whether Title IX can explain any part of the advances for teen mothers. Opportunity costs of staying in school decrease for a larger fraction of teens in areas where teen motherhood rates are higher prior to Title IX. I use this variation to test whether teens in areas with higher pre-Title IX teen motherhood rates exhibit larger educational gains than teens in other areas. Next I examine whether these gains are higher for teen mothers versus individuals who are not teen mothers. My results suggest that Title IX improved teen mothers' education outcomes and that these effects are most pronounced for black teen mothers.