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Abortion and Female Labor Force Participation: Evidence Prior to Roe v. Wade

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  • DAVID E. KALIST

Abstract

From 1969 through 1972, and therefore prior to Roe v. Wade, several states legalized abortion. I examine whether the liberalization of state abortion laws affects female labor force participation using data from the March Current Population Survey (CPS) and estimate several probit participation equations. Results indicate that abortion, by reducing unwanted pregnancies and hence fertility rates, has increased the labor force participation rates of females, especially of single black women.

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  • David E. Kalist, 2004. "Abortion and Female Labor Force Participation: Evidence Prior to Roe v. Wade," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 25(3), pages 503-514, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:tra:jlabre:v:25:y:2004:i:3:p:503-514
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Finlay, Jocelyn E., 2021. "Women’s reproductive health and economic activity: A narrative review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    2. Cheyenne Luzynski & Martina Angela Caretta & Emily Tanner, 2024. "Vulnerability and affective solidarity: Feminist assemblies in Appalachia under and after the Trump presidency," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 1072-1091, May.
    3. Hamid Noghanibehambari & David Slusky & Hoa Vu, 2025. "From Access to Wellness: Early Life Exposure to Abortion Legalization and the Next Generation’s Health," NBER Working Papers 33571, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Clarke, Damian, 2023. "The Economics of Abortion Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 16395, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Sherajum Monira Farin & Lauren Hoehn-Velasco & Michael F. Pesko, 2024. "The Impact of Legal Abortion on Maternal Mortality," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 174-216, August.
    6. Myers, Caitlin Knowles, 2021. "Measuring the Burden: The Effect of Travel Distance on Abortions and Births," IZA Discussion Papers 14556, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Dench, Daniel & Pineda-Torres, Mayra & Myers, Caitlin Knowles, 2023. "The Effects of the Dobbs Decision on Fertility," IZA Discussion Papers 16608, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Dench, Daniel & Pineda-Torres, Mayra & Myers, Caitlin, 2024. "The effects of post-Dobbs abortion bans on fertility," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    9. Jones, Kelly M. & Pineda-Torres, Mayra, 2024. "TRAP’d Teens: Impacts of abortion provider regulations on fertility & education," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    10. Matias Busso & Dario Romero Fonseca, 2015. "Female Labor Force Participation in Latin America: Patterns and Explanations," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0187, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    11. Caterina Muratori, 2021. "The Impact of Abortion Access on Violence Against Women," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2021-03, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    12. Richard Cebula & Christopher Coombs, 2008. "Recent Evidence on Factors Influencing the Female Labor Force Participation Rate," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 272-284, September.
    13. Rodríguez-Planas, Núria & Secor, Alan, 2025. "Gender, Perceived Discrimination and the Overruling of Roe v. Wade," IZA Discussion Papers 17807, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Gonzalez, Fidel & Quast, Troy, 2022. "The relationship between abortion rates and economic fluctuations," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    15. Kristine Husøy Onarheim & Johanne Helene Iversen & David E Bloom, 2016. "Economic Benefits of Investing in Women’s Health: A Systematic Review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1-23, March.
    16. Cavallini, Flavia, 2024. "Not the right time for children: Unemployment, fertility, and abortion," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Richard J. Cebula & Gigi M. Alexander, 2018. "Is there an impact of labor market freedom on the elderly female labor force participation rate in the U.S.? An exploratory study," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(1), pages 30-40.
    18. Zandberg, Jonathan, 2021. "Family comes first: Reproductive health and the gender gap in entrepreneurship," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(3), pages 838-864.
    19. Strenio, Jacqueline & van der Meulen Rodgers, Yana, 2023. "Integrating Gender into a Labor Economics Class," IZA Discussion Papers 15886, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Nuria Rodriguez-Planas & Alan Secor, 2024. "Gender, perceived discrimination and the overruling of Roe V. Wade," Working Papers 2024/13, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).

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