Arbeitspapier

Gender roles and medical progress

Maternal mortality was the second-leading cause of death for women in childbearing years up until the mid-1930s in the United States. For each death, twenty times as many mothers were estimated to suffer pregnancy-related conditions, often leading to severe and prolonged disablement. Poor maternal health made it particularly hard for mothers to engage in market work. Between 1930 and 1960, there was a remarkable reduction in maternal mortality and morbidity, thanks to medical advances. We argue that these medical advances, by enabling women to reconcile work and motherhood, were essential for the joint rise in married women's labor force participation and fertility over this period. We also show that the diffusion of infant formula played an important auxiliary role.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: Staff Report ; No. 720

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Health, Education, and Welfare: General
Labor and Demographic Economics: General
Demographic Economics: Other
Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
Thema
maternal health
labor force participation

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Albanesi, Stefania
Olivetti, Claudia
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
(wo)
New York, NY
(wann)
2015

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Albanesi, Stefania
  • Olivetti, Claudia
  • Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Entstanden

  • 2015

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