The baby boom and World War II: a macroeconomic analysis

Arbeitspapier

We argue that one major cause of the U.S. postwar baby boom was the increased demand for female labor during World War II. We develop a quantitative dynamic general equilibrium model with endogenous fertility and female labor-force participation decisions. We use the model to assess the long-term implications of a one-time demand shock for female labor, such as the one experienced by American women during wartime mobilization. For the war generation, the shock leads to a persistent increase in female labor supply due to the accumulation of work experience. In contrast, younger women who turn adult after the war face increased labor-market competition, which impels them to exit the labor market and start having children earlier. In our calibrated model, this general-equilibrium effect generates a substantial baby boom followed by a baby bust, as well as patterns for age-specific labor-force participation and fertility rates that are consistent with U.S. data.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 3253

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie ; Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
• Subject: Fertility ; baby boom ; World War II ; female labor-force participation ; Fruchtbarkeit ; Frauenerwerbstätigkeit ; Geburtenrate ; Krieg ; USA ; Welt

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Doepke, Matthias ; Hazan, Moshe ; Maoz, Yishay D.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2007

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/34799
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET