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FREEDOM, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND FERTILITY: BLACK AMERICANS, 1860-1910

Edward Meeker

Open publisher page 13 citations

Abstract

Black fertility declined sharply following Reconstruction. Demographers argue that explanations of post-bellum white fertility behavior are inapplicable to blacks. This paper hypothesizes that the reduced fertility was due to economic factors. An economic model of fertility is developed and estimated econometrically; it is consistent with the fertility experience of both races. It is concluded that several products of emancipation, including urbanization, increased literacy levels, and a shift in the economic burden of child maintenance from the slave owner to the family, were instrumental in increasing the opportunity cost of black children to their parents.

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Black fertility declined sharply following Reconstruction. Demographers argue that explanations of post-bellum white fertility behavior are inapplicable to blacks. This paper hypothesizes that the reduced fertility was due to economic factors. An economic model of fertility is developed and estimated econometrically; it is consistent with the fertility experience of both races. It is concluded that several products of emancipation, including urbanization, increased literacy levels, and a shift in the economic burden of child maintenance from the slave owner to the family, were instrumental in increasing the opportunity cost of black children to their parents.

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Available abstract

Black fertility declined sharply following Reconstruction. Demographers argue that explanations of post-bellum white fertility behavior are inapplicable to blacks. This paper hypothesizes that the reduced fertility was due to economic factors. An economic model of fertility is developed and estimated econometrically; it is consistent with the fertility experience of both races. It is concluded that several products of emancipation, including urbanization, increased literacy levels, and a shift in the economic burden of child maintenance from the slave owner to the family, were instrumental in increasing the opportunity cost of black children to their parents.

Key concepts: Fertility, Opportunity cost, Economics, Urbanization, Emancipation, Demographic economics, Economic growth, Sociology

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