First of all AIDS in the 1980s changed a lot of this. However, in the late 1950s and early 1960s girls often were considered to be adults (even here in the U.S.) from about age 15 or 16. So, for example, I knew many girls who dropped out of school and either lived with men from age 20 to 45 by ages 14 or 15 and either continued through high school with the man they lived with or not.
Another thing a lot of girls were doing at that time (age 14 or 15) was wanting to have a baby. So, often they got pregnant on purpose just to have a "sweet little baby". I personally thought this was pretty crazy but then people did all sorts of crazy things then and now.
I remember being age 16 and two friends of mine that I hadn't seen in school for about 6 months and I walked up to them (a boy and a girl) and when I asked what happened to them, they said, "Oh! We got married and here is our baby!" And though I was polite to them I almost passed out and threw up because I knew I wasn't ready to get married or have a baby anymore than the man in the moon. So, I quickly found a way to get away from them so I didn't just throw up or pass out at the time.
I didn't get married or have a child until I was 26 in 1974 but many many friends were married and pregnant by 16 or 17 years of age or they got married and went to college together or one of them got married and the other was pregnant in college and sometimes they even stayed together the rest of their lives too.
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