Working Paper: NBER ID: w22322
Authors: Kasey S. Buckles; Daniel M. Hungerman
Abstract: While the fertility effects of improving teenagers’ access to contraception are theoretically ambiguous, most empirical work has shown that access decreases teen fertility. In this paper, we consider the fertility effects of access to condoms—a method of contraception not considered in prior work. We exploit variation across counties and across time in teenagers’ exposure to condom distribution programs in schools. We find that access to condoms in schools increases teen fertility by about 10 percent. These effects are driven by communities where condoms are provided without mandated counseling.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Access to condoms in schools (I24) | Teen fertility (J13) |
| Access to condoms in schools (I24) | Additional births per 1,000 teenage women (J13) |
| Condom access without mandated counseling (I19) | Increase in teen fertility (J13) |
| Condom access with mandated counseling (J13) | Mitigation of fertility increase (J13) |
| Condom distribution programs (D30) | Risky sexual behaviors (I12) |
| Condom distribution programs (D30) | Use of condoms over effective contraceptive methods (J13) |