With this increased responsibility, women are seeking jobs and active earning lives. In all eight countries of the region, the participation rates for women have risen steadily since 1995 and are projected to continue along the same incline. Despite these developments, women continue to participate less in the marketplace and earn far less than their male counterparts.
Girls, too, struggle against lower earnings potential as a
significant number assume roles of caretaker at early ages. Teenage
birth rates throughout the region are high:
| Country | Births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 |
| Belize | 79 |
| Costa Rica | 81 |
| Dominican Republic | 93 |
| El Salvador | 87 |
| Guatemala | 111 |
| Honduras | 103 |
| Nicaragua | 138 |
| Panama | 75 |