“The Miracle Tablet Maybe”: Legalization of the Pill and Women’s Childbearing and Career Decisions

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-298
Author(s):  
Henning Finseraas ◽  
Øyvind Søraas Skorge

Abstract A substantial literature argues that the legalization of the birth control pill in the United States reduced fertility and enhanced career investments. This study questions whether the broader effects hold across contexts. We use administrative data to study the Norwegian legalization of the pill and find effects on teenage motherhood but not on subsequent career outcomes. Using survey data, we show that the pill's impact on fertility is largest for women with an early sexual debut; nevertheless, broader effects of pill usage are still absent. Our study indicates that the pill cannot explain the rise of Norwegian women's economic empowerment.

Author(s):  
Martha J. Bailey ◽  
Jason M. Lindo

Changes in childbearing affect almost every aspect of human existence. Over the last fifty years, American women have experienced dramatic changes in the ease and convenience of timing and limiting childbearing, ranging from the introduction of the birth control pill and the legalization of abortion to more recent availability of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). This chapter chronicles these changes, provides descriptive evidence regarding trends in the use of contraception and abortion, and reviews the literature linking them to changes in childbearing and women’s economic outcomes. It concludes by discussing the recent surge in LARC use, which seems to be one of the most pressing areas in need of further research.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-330
Author(s):  
T. E. C.

Dr. Richard Arthur Bolt (1880-1959) was both a greatly respected American pediatrician and an acknowledged leader in the development of maternal and infant hygiene programs. His chapter entitled "The Mortalities of Infancy" in Isaac Abt's (1867-1955) encyclopedic, nine-volume treatise on pediatrics, published between 1923 and 1926, contains this negative view of birth control.1 This terrific loss of life in utero or shortly after birth constitutes a serious problem from a biological as well as a social standpoint. Of recent years there has been an alarming increase in the frequency and actual number of induced abortions. This has gone hand in hand with the insidious propaganda for so-called "birth control" or "voluntary parenthood"—a movement which has gained momentum in France, Holland and New Zealand, and has gradually spread to England and the United States. While the birth control enthusiasts would indignantly disclaim any connection between the "contraceptive methods" of "voluntary parenthood" and induced abortions, it is very evident that the more "moral technique" of contraception must often break down and relief from the "accidents" which follow be frequently sought in induced abortion. Thus far contraceptive methods have been practiced largely by the elite and better educated classes. Those most able to bear children and meet their support have been the very ones to shirk the responsibility, while those for whom birth control is claimed to be a great boon still proceed to build up large families. It has been estimated that at least four children to a family are necessary to keep up the stock.


ILR Review ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 610-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas C. Buchmueller ◽  
John Dinardo ◽  
Robert G. Valletta

During the past two decades, union density has declined in the United States and employer provision of health benefits has changed substantially in extent and form. Using individual survey data spanning the years 1983–97 combined with employer survey data for 1993, the authors update and extend previous analyses of private-sector union effects on employer-provided health benefits. They find that the union effect on health insurance coverage rates has fallen somewhat but remains large, due to an increase over time in the union effect on employee “take-up” of offered insurance, and that declining unionization explains 20–35% of the decline in employee health coverage. The increasing union take-up effect is linked to union effects on employees' direct costs for health insurance and the availability of retiree coverage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 226-230
Author(s):  
Sarah Miller ◽  
Laura R. Wherry ◽  
Diana Greene Foster

We provide a brief overview of the Turnaway Study, the first study to collect longitudinal data on individual women who received versus were denied a wanted abortion in the United States. The study team collected data on nearly 1,000 women seeking an abortion from 30 facilities around the country and followed them for 5 years. We discuss some of the main findings from the study related to the health, labor, and human capital outcomes of the women who were denied abortions and gave birth. We conclude by describing future opportunities to learn from the study with new linkages to administrative data.


Commonwealth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Weikert

The 2018 elections saw a record number of women running for elected office in the United States and in Pennsylvania, but whether this represents a temporary wave or a lasting trend is not clear. Using a combination of survey data; interviews of new candidates, elected officeholders, and party officials; and election data, this study examines the gender equality gains of 2018 in Pennsylvania’s legislature in historical and political context. The data provide evidence that formal recruitment of female candidates was common (but not universal), that the number of women running for and winning office increased by historic (and not just significant) levels, and that a persistent and consistent motivation was discernible in large portions of the candidate body. Survey measures of female candidate persistence—whether they plan to run again or recruit new candidates—also indicate that women intend to remain similarly active after the 2018 election cycle has come and gone.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula D. McClain ◽  
Monique L. Lyle ◽  
Niambi M. Carter ◽  
Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto ◽  
Gerald F. Lackey ◽  
...  

AbstractDramatic demographic changes are occurring in the United States, and some of the most dramatic changes are occurring in the South from Latino immigration. Latinos, by and large, are an entirely new population in the region. How are Black southerners reacting to this new population? Using survey data gathered from a southern location, this article explores several questions related to whether Blacks see these new residents as friendly neighbors or economic competitors. Results suggest that Blacks and non-Blacks perceive a potential economic threat from continued Latino immigration, but Blacks are more concerned about the effects of Latino immigration than are Whites.


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