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| Publications [#357611] of V. Joseph Hotz
Journal Articles
- Hotz, VJ; McElroy, SW; Sanders, SG, Teenage Childbearing and Its Life Cycle Consequences: Exploiting a Natural Experiment,
Journal of Human Resources, vol. 40 no. 3
(2005)
(last updated on 2026/01/20)
Abstract:
We exploit a “natural experiment” associated with human reproduction to
identify the causal effect of teen childbearing on the socioeconomic attainment
of teen mothers. We exploit the fact that some women who become
pregnant experience a miscarriage and do not have a live birth. Using miscarriages
an instrumental variable, we estimate the effect of teen mothers
not delaying their childbearing on their subsequent attainment. We find that
many of the negative consequences of teenage childbearing are much
smaller than those found in previous studies. For most outcomes, the adverse
consequences of early childbearing are short-lived. Finally, for annual hours
of work and earnings, we find that a teen mother would have lower levels of
each at older ages if they had delayed their childbearing.
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