The Effect of Sexual Abstinence on Educational Attainment

A number of studies have shown that teenagers who abstain from sex are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college than their sexually active peers. However, it is unclear whether this association represents a causal relationship or can be explained by unmeasured heterogeneity. This study employs a variety of econometric techniques to distinguish between these hypotheses using data on females from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Our results provide evidence that delaying first intercourse leads to an increased likelihood of graduating high school. The avoidance of teen pregnancies can explain approximately one third of this effect. Controlling for teen pregnancies, psychological/emotional factors, and academic performance reduces the estimated effect by more than 50 percent. (JEL: I21, I10, J13)