Working Paper: NBER ID: w14675
Authors: Martha J. Bailey
Abstract: The 1960s ushered in a new era in U.S. demographic history characterized by significantly lower fertility rates and smaller family sizes. What catalyzed these changes remains a matter of considerable debate. This paper exploits idiosyncratic variation in the language of "Comstock" statutes, enacted in the late 1800s, to quantify the role of the birth control pill in this transition. Almost fifty years after the contraceptive pill appeared on the U.S. market, this analysis provides new evidence that it accelerated the post-1960 decline in marital fertility.
Keywords: birth control; fertility; Comstock laws; Griswold v. Connecticut; marital fertility
JEL Codes: I18; J01; J12; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Comstock laws (K42) | contraceptive use (J13) |
| contraceptive use (J13) | marital fertility rates (J12) |
| birth control pill introduction (Y20) | contraceptive use (J13) |
| Griswold v. Connecticut decision (K36) | contraceptive use (J13) |
| birth control pill introduction (Y20) | marital fertility rates (J12) |
| Griswold v. Connecticut decision (K36) | marital fertility rates (J12) |