Abstract
This study relies on IPUMS samples of the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, aggregate census data, and the timing of state laws criminalizing abortion to construct regional estimates of marital fertility in the United States and estimate correlates of marital fertility. The results show a significant lag between the onset of marital fertility decline in the nation’s northeastern census divisions and its onset in western and southern census divisions. Empirical models indicate the presence of cultural, economic, and legal impediments to the diffusion of marital fertility control and illustrate the need for more inclusive models of fertility decline.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1657-1692 |
Number of pages | 36 |
Journal | Demography |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Research was supported in part by funds provided to the Minnesota Population Center from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grants R24-HD041023 and from NICHD Grants K01-HD052617 and R01-HD082120. The author received valuable feedback from seminar participants at the Centre for Population Economics, Lund University; Centre for Population Studies, Umeå University; Center for Population Economics, University of Chicago; Economic History, Northwestern University; and Historical Demography, Max Plank Institute for Demographic Research; and from Martin Dribe, Johanna Lahey, and the anonymous reviewers.
Funding Information:
Research was supported in part by funds provided to the Minnesota Population Center from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grants R24-HD041023 and from NICHD Grants K01-HD052617 and R01-HD082120. The author received valuable feedback from seminar participants at the Centre for Population Economics, Lund University; Centre for Population Studies, Umeå University; Center for Population Economics, University of Chicago; Economic History, Northwestern University; and Historical Demography, Max Plank Institute for Demographic Research; and from Martin Dribe, Johanna Lahey, and the anonymous reviewers.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Population Association of America.
Keywords
- Abortion
- Fertility decline
- IPUMS
- Religion
- United States