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Pulling the Trigger on Women’s Reproductive Rights: The Short-term Effects of Overturning Roe v. Wade on Women’s Mental Health and Labor Markets Outcomes

Olsson, Rebecca LU and Palmgren, Karl (2024) NEKP01 20241
Department of Economics
Abstract
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dobbs in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision eliminated the almost 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion and automatically activated trigger laws imposing immediate abortion bans in 12 states. Previous research suggests that legalization of abortion leads to higher female labor force participation through fewer births and improved health outcomes for women that gain access to reproductive health care. In this study we examine if revoking the rights to abortion have the opposite effect, estimating the short-term impact of the Supreme Court decision on mental health and labor market outcomes for women of childbearing age (18-49). By... (More)
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dobbs in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision eliminated the almost 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion and automatically activated trigger laws imposing immediate abortion bans in 12 states. Previous research suggests that legalization of abortion leads to higher female labor force participation through fewer births and improved health outcomes for women that gain access to reproductive health care. In this study we examine if revoking the rights to abortion have the opposite effect, estimating the short-term impact of the Supreme Court decision on mental health and labor market outcomes for women of childbearing age (18-49). By employing a Two-Way Fixed Effects Difference-in-Differences approach and using a combination of quarterly state-level microdata from the Current Population Survey and the Household Pulse Survey, we provide compelling evidence of the short-term effects of enacting regressive abortion laws. Our estimates are statistically significant and suggests an increase in anxiety and depression for women in reproductive ages, with some spillover effects. For women’s labor supply our estimates suggests some short-term effects associated with an in- crease in family care, decreasing on the extensive margin and increasing on the intensive margin. (Less)
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author
Olsson, Rebecca LU and Palmgren, Karl
supervisor
organization
course
NEKP01 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Abortion, Roe v. Wade, Mental Health, Labor Market Outcomes, Difference-in-Differences
language
English
id
9157451
date added to LUP
2024-10-01 13:21:26
date last changed
2024-10-01 13:21:26
@misc{9157451,
  abstract     = {{In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dobbs in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision eliminated the almost 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion and automatically activated trigger laws imposing immediate abortion bans in 12 states. Previous research suggests that legalization of abortion leads to higher female labor force participation through fewer births and improved health outcomes for women that gain access to reproductive health care. In this study we examine if revoking the rights to abortion have the opposite effect, estimating the short-term impact of the Supreme Court decision on mental health and labor market outcomes for women of childbearing age (18-49). By employing a Two-Way Fixed Effects Difference-in-Differences approach and using a combination of quarterly state-level microdata from the Current Population Survey and the Household Pulse Survey, we provide compelling evidence of the short-term effects of enacting regressive abortion laws. Our estimates are statistically significant and suggests an increase in anxiety and depression for women in reproductive ages, with some spillover effects. For women’s labor supply our estimates suggests some short-term effects associated with an in- crease in family care, decreasing on the extensive margin and increasing on the intensive margin.}},
  author       = {{Olsson, Rebecca and Palmgren, Karl}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Pulling the Trigger on Women’s Reproductive Rights: The Short-term Effects of Overturning Roe v. Wade on Women’s Mental Health and Labor Markets Outcomes}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}