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American Economic Review: Vol. 100 No. 1 (March 2010)
AER Volume. 100, Issue 1 | 
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"Momma's Got the Pill": How Anthony Comstock and Griswold v. Connecticut Shaped US Childbearing
Article Citation
Bailey, Martha J. 2010. ""Momma's Got the Pill": How Anthony Comstock and Griswold v. Connecticut Shaped US Childbearing."
American Economic Review,
100(1): 98-129.
DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.1.98
DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.1.98
Abstract
The 1960s ushered in a new era in US 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 50
years after the contraceptive pill appeared on the US market, this analysis provides
new evidence that it accelerated the post-1960 decline in marital fertility.
(JEL J12, J13, K10, N31, N32)
Article Full-Text Access
Full-text Article
Additional Materials
Download Data Set (213.78 MB) | Additional Materials (417.94 KB)
Authors
Bailey, Martha J. (U MI)
JEL Classifications
J12: Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
J13: Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
K10: Basic Areas of Law: General (Constitutional Law)
N31: Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Religion: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
N32: Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Religion: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
J13: Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
K10: Basic Areas of Law: General (Constitutional Law)
N31: Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Religion: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
N32: Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Religion: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
