The Effect of Increased Access to IVF on Women's Careers

TL;DR

This study examines how expanded access to IVF through state mandates influences women's motherhood timing and labor market outcomes, finding increased motherhood probability but no significant earnings impact.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the effects of IVF insurance mandates on women's fertility timing and labor market outcomes using a difference-in-differences approach.

Findings

IVF mandates increase motherhood probability by 3.1 percentage points

No significant effect of IVF mandates on women's earnings

Expanded IVF access delays childbirth without affecting income

Abstract

Motherhood is the main contributor to gender gaps in the labor market. IVF is a method of assisted reproduction that can delay fertility, which results in decreased motherhood income penalty. In this research, I estimate the effects of expanded access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) arising from state insurance mandates. I use a difference-in-differences model to estimate the effect of increased IVF accessibility for delaying childbirth and decreasing the motherhood income penalty. Using the fertility supplement dataset from the Current Population Survey (CPS), I estimate how outcomes change in states when they implement their mandates compared to how outcomes change in states that are not changing their policies. The results indicate that IVF mandates increase the probability of motherhood by 38 by 3.1 percentage points (p<0.01). However, the results provide no evidence that IVF insurance mandates impact women's earnings.