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Child vs. Pet: The Effect of Abortion Legalization on the Demand for Pets

Author

Listed:
  • Youjin Hahn
  • Liang Choon Wang
  • Hee-Seung Yang

Abstract

This paper examines whether abortion legalization led to increased demand for pets in the United States. We compare women living in early-legalizing states, whose peak childbearing years occurred in the early 1970s, to women in other states and cohorts and estimate their likelihood of pet ownership and time spent on pets after their peak childbearing years were over. We find the probability of owning any pet is approximately 9.6 percentage points higher for women affected by abortion legalization than for non-affected women, and that affected women spend on average 8 minutes more per day on pets.

Suggested Citation

  • Youjin Hahn & Liang Choon Wang & Hee-Seung Yang, 2012. "Child vs. Pet: The Effect of Abortion Legalization on the Demand for Pets," Monash Economics Working Papers 57-12, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:mos:moswps:2012-57
    as

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    File URL: http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/eco/research/papers/2012/5712childvspethahnwangyang.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elizabeth Oltmans Ananat & Jonathan Gruber & Phillip Levine, 2007. "Abortion Legalization and Life-Cycle Fertility," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 42(2).
    2. Ted Joyce, 2004. "Did Legalized Abortion Lower Crime?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(1).
    3. Jonathan Gruber & Phillip Levine & Douglas Staiger, 1999. "Abortion Legalization and Child Living Circumstances: Who is the "Marginal Child"?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 263-291.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Abortion legalization; fertility; pet; substitutes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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