The Baby Boom and World War II: A Macroeconomic Analysis

Matthias Doepke (), Moshe Hazan () and Yishay David Maoz ()

No 3253, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

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.

Keywords: fertility; baby boom; World War II; female labor-force participation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D58 E24 J13 J20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dge, nep-his, nep-lab and nep-mac
Date: 2007-12
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Related works:
Working Paper: The Baby Boom and World War II: A Macroeconomic Analysis (2007)
Working Paper: The Baby Boom and World War II: A Macroeconomic Analysis (2008)
Working Paper: The Baby Boom and World War II: A Macroeconomic Analysis (2008)
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