The problem of adolescent pregnancy has two different dimensions in that the problems of teen pregnancy in the "developed" world are not identical as in the "developing" world. In general the problem is very much one of access to knowledge and education. The heart of the problem in western countries is a failure of the educational system and of parents. Often, parents wish to emphasize abstinence over the realities of sex and adolescent/teen pregnancy is often the result. Much attention is given to the education of teens concerning pregnancy but society also needs to do a better job in instructing parents how to deal with issues relating to sex education. Religious and cultural barriers exists that make doing so very difficult and until these barriers are modified teen pregnancy will remain a serious problem and in some cases an epidemic.