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Out-of-Wedlock Fertility, Post-Pregnancy Choices and Contraceptive Usage

Author

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  • Ana Nuevo-Chiquero

    (Department of Economics, University of Sheffield)

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of out-of-wedlock conceptions and births for cohorts born in the US from 1955 to 1982 and the role that modern contraception played in these trends. Substantial increases in conception outside of marriage only partially account for the upward trend in illegitimacy. Among those who conceived out-of-wedlock, the incidence of shotgun (post-conception) marriage decreased sharply, as did the incidence of abortion. Contraceptive use and pregnancy planning do not appear to shape the trend in out-of-wedlock conception, but post-conception choices evolved differently for unplanned pregnancies, with a negligible decrease in shotgun marriages. Furthermore, conditional on own use of contraception and planning of the pregnancy, women in "premarital sexual intercourse markets" with high contraceptive use are less likely to give birth out-of-wedlock. The trend in out-of-wedlock motherhood over time is significantly steeper when modern contraceptive use in the woman's premarital sexual intercourse market is accounted for, suggesting that its generalization contributed to moderate the increase in out-of-wedlock motherhood.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana Nuevo-Chiquero, 2014. "Out-of-Wedlock Fertility, Post-Pregnancy Choices and Contraceptive Usage," Working Papers 2014009, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:shf:wpaper:2014009
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    File URL: http://www.shef.ac.uk/economics/research/serps/articles/2014_009.html
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Eder, Christoph & Halla, Martin, 2020. "Economic origins of cultural norms: The case of animal husbandry and bastardy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    out-of-wedlock birth; post-conception marriage; modern contraception; abortion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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