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Abortion Costs, Separation and Non-Marital Childbearing

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Beauchamp

    (Boston College)

Abstract
How do abortion costs affect non-marital childbearing? While greater access to abortion has the first-order effect of reducing childbearing among pregnant women, it could nonetheless lead to unintended consequences via effects on marriage market norms. Single motherhood could rise if lower-cost abortion makes it easier for men to avoid marriage. We identify the effect of abortion costs on separation, cohabitation and marriage following a birth by exploiting the "miscarriage-as-a-natural experiment" methodology in combination with changes in state abortion laws. Recent increases in abortion restrictions appear to have lead to a sizable decrease in a woman's chances of being single and increased the chances of cohabitation. The result underscores the importance of the marriage market search behavior of men and women, and the positive and negative effects of abortion laws on bargaining power for women who abort and give birth respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Beauchamp, 2012. "Abortion Costs, Separation and Non-Marital Childbearing," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 812, Boston College Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:boc:bocoec:812
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Christopher R. Tamborini, 2021. "Family and Health over the Past Decade: Review of Selected Studies and Areas of Future Inquiry," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 62-69, July.
    2. Gorkem Turgut Ozer & Brad N. Greenwood & Anandasivam Gopal, 2023. "Digital Multisided Platforms and Women’s Health: An Empirical Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Lending and Abortion Rates," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 223-252, March.
    3. Andrew Beauchamp & Catherine R. Pakaluk, 2019. "The Paradox Of The Pill: Heterogeneous Effects Of Oral Contraceptive Access," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(2), pages 813-831, April.
    4. Forsstrom, Matthew P., 2021. "Abortion Costs and Single Parenthood: A Life-Cycle Model of Fertility and Partnership Behavior," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    5. Manouchehr Mokhtari, 2016. "Affordable Health Care," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 135-139, June.
    6. Joelle Abramowitz, 2017. "Assisted Reproductive Technology and Women’s Timing of Marriage and Childbearing," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 100-117, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fertility; Non-marital Childbearing; Abortion Costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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