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The potential of including the UK in comparisons with other European countries in research on teenage pregnancy

Roehampton University, London, a.franz{at}roehampton.ac.uk

Marcia Worrell

Roehampton University, London

Catherine Gilvarry

Roehampton University, London

Claus Vögele

Roehampton University, London

This article is a response to Arai (2003) `British policy on teenage pregnancy and childbearing: The limitations of comparisons with other European countries' (Critical Social Policy 23: 89—102). It discusses the arguments put forward by Arai there that cross-cultural comparisons in the area of teenage pregnancy are often problematic due to the unique demographics of the UK. While Arai's considerations are important for cross-cultural research, they need to be more sensitive to the differences between countries included in these comparisons. Our article illustrates the potential value of cross-cultural research, using Germany as an example, and concludes that, as long as countries for such comparisons are chosen carefully, the merit of cross-cultural research on topics such as teenage pregnancy far exceeds its limitations.

Key Words: cross-cultural research • Germany • teenage childbearing • UK

Critical Social Policy, Vol. 29, No. 3, 548-559 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0261018309105184


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