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Title: The Baby Boom and World War II: A Macroeconomic Analysis

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2007

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Abstract: 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 laborforce participation and fertility rates that are consistent with U.S. data.

Url: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/394a/ec9f64934200a6b7cfe3c80644fa7c94ec21.pdf

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Authors: Doepke, Matthias; Hazan, Moshe; Maoz, Yishay D

Series Title: IZA Discussion Paper Series

Publication Number: 3253

Institution: IZA

Pages:

Publisher Location: Bonn

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Fertility and Mortality, Other

Countries: United States