The impact of abortion access on women's labor market outcomes

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master_Melartin_Heta_2023.pdf (2.74 MB)

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School of Business | Master's thesis
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Date

2023

Department

Taloustieteen laitos

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Economics

Language

en

Pages

52+4

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Abstract

This thesis examines the impacts of abortion access on women’s labor market and educational outcomes in economically developed countries by reviewing existing literature. Due to the scarcity of international evidence, however, a large share of the analyzed literature focuses on abortion law reforms in the United States. The findings suggest that abortion access is likely to have significant impacts on the educational outcomes and labor market position of women, but the effects are concentrated on Black women. As a result of the legalization of abortion in the US, Black women saw improvements in labor force participation, work status, earnings, and educational outcomes. They also experienced decreases in poverty and receipt of public assistance. The disparities between Black and White women likely stem from the discriminatory environment for Black women in the labor market and reproductive health care sector, which is reflected in Black women’s unmet need for contraception and their overrepresentation in low-income occupations. The few studies outside the US show that abortion legalization led to significant improvements on schooling outcomes of women, and had modest impacts in the labor market. Eliminating or restricting abortion access is likely to have adverse consequences for women in the labor market and within education. Preventing women from obtaining wanted abortions is found to cause lasting economic hardship, and even less-extreme restrictions to abortion access are shown to negatively affect women’s employment, educational attainment, and labor mobility. Abortion regulations may disproportionately harm low-income women and Black women, who are less likely to overcome the restrictions and access contraceptives, and can therefore increase the existing inequalities between women of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Thesis advisor

Huttunen, Kristiina

Keywords

abortion, family planning, fertility, government policy, labor economics

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202306183968

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