The Impact of Abortion Reforms on Female Labour Force Participation and Education in Mexico

Sammanfattning: This study examines the effects of progressive and regressive abortion reforms on women’s educational and labour market outcomes in Mexico. First trimester abortions became legal in Mexico City in 2007. Following the progressive legislative reform, 18 other Mexican states implemented more restrictive legislation on abortions. By using quarterly survey data and a difference-in-differences approach, I find a significant positive correlation between female labour force participation and abortion legalisation. Nevertheless, insufficient support of the parallel trend assumption prohibits an analysis of the causal impact. The regressive reforms do not appear to have had any statistically significant impact on female labour supply at conventional levels, although they appear to have had a positive causal impact on the share of young women who complete high school. Based on the results in this study, I find indications that abortion reforms are correlated with some effects on educational and labour market outcomes. However, more research is needed to clarify through what mechanisms abortion access and legal status affect women’s schooling and job opportunities and to further establish a causal relationship.