More Power to the Pill: The Impact of Contraceptive Freedom on Women's Life Cycle Labor Supply

Introduction

• The introduction of Enovid, the first birth control pill, in 1960 allowed U.S. women significant freedom to plan childbearing and careers.
• Research uses variation in state consent laws to examine how access to the pill affected timing of first births and women's labor force participation.
• Findings suggest legal access to the pill before age 21:
  • Reduced likelihood of first birth before age 22.
  • Increased participation in the paid labor force.
  • Increased annual hours worked.

Historical Context

• Margaret Sanger, founder of the birth control movement, argued for its future influence.
• Enovid's release impacted women's marriage age and participation in professional jobs.
• Prior studies: Birth control had limited effect on fertility and labor market participation (Becker's view).
• Pill's introduction coincided with social movements and changes such as the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War.

State Consent Laws and Pill Access

• State legal changes from 1960 to 1976 allowed unmarried women under 21 to consent to medical care, facilitating pill access.
• Changes were part of broader shifts in legal rights for minors.
• Analysis uses these legal changes to examine pill's impact on fertility and labor market behavior.

Empirical Findings

• First birth rates declined significantly for 18-19 year olds after pill introduction.
• Declines in early childbearing closely follow pill diffusion.
• Women born around 1955 benefited from early access to the pill, delaying first births beyond age 22.
• Labor force participation increased significantly among cohorts with pill access.

Impact on Women's Labor Participation

• Pill access led to substantial changes in labor force participation for women aged 26-30:
  • 24 percentage points higher participation at age 25 compared to pre-pill cohorts.
• Early access affected work behavior through birth timing.
• Pill allowed women to delay childbearing, pursue education, and develop careers.

Methodology

• Analysis uses CPS data, focusing on women born from 1940-1955.
• Legal access to the pill is linked to significant labor supply changes.
• Methods used account for other factors like abortion access and demographic characteristics.

Conclusions

• The pill had a profound impact on women's economic roles by enabling better fertility control.
• It allowed women to plan births around educational and career goals, increasing labor market participation.
• Provides evidence for the pill's role in women's economic empowerment and offers insights into broader societal shifts.

References

• A variety of studies and data sources were used to support the analysis, including Census data and historical records of state legislation changes.