The economic effects of free contraceptive distribution: evidence from Argentina’s ENIA plan on the marriage market
Date
2025-01
Authors
Podestá, Rosario
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Tommasi, Mariano
Roig, Nicolás Agustín
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Publisher
Universidad de San Andrés. Departamento de Economía
Abstract
This paper examines the economic effects of free long-acting contraceptive access on key socioeconomic variables, including marriage, education and labor market outcomes, using Argentina’s Plan Nacional de Prevenci´on del Embarazo No Intencional en la Adolescencia (ENIA) family planning program. The program involved the distribution of long-acting free contraceptives and the enhancement of sexual health services for adolescents. Implementation was targeted at counties with higher adolescent pregnancy rates. Using a difference-in-difference and event study approach, I find that access to free contraceptives led to an increase in marriage rates. The results support the parallel trends assumption and remain robust in an event study design and a placebo test. Additionally, a heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effects vary based on the lethality rate of COVID-19 across provinces. These findings highlight the relationship between reproductive health policies and economic outcomes, offering valuable insights for gender equality and development initiatives.
Description
Fil: Podestá, Rosario. Universidad de San Andrés. Departamento de Economía; Argentina.