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Ready, Willing, and Able? Impediments to the Onset of Marital Fertility Decline in the United States

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  • J. David Hacker

    (University of Minnesota)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • J. David Hacker, 2016. "Ready, Willing, and Able? Impediments to the Onset of Marital Fertility Decline in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 1657-1692, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:53:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s13524-016-0513-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-016-0513-7
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    2. Boberg-Fazlić, Nina & Lampe, Markus & Martinelli Lasheras, Pablo & Sharp, Paul, 2022. "Winners and losers from agrarian reform: Evidence from Danish land inequality 1682–1895," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
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    5. J. David Hacker & Evan Roberts, 2017. "The impact of kin availability, parental religiosity, and nativity on fertility differentials in the late 19th-century United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(34), pages 1049-1080.

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