The Effects of Expanding Long-Acting Reversible Contraception on Female High School Graduation Rates
Date of Award
August 2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Economics
Committee Member
Devon Gorry
Committee Member
Robert Fleck
Committee Member
Scott Templeton
Abstract
The Colorado Family Planning Initiative (CFPI) expanded resources for long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) across Title X clinics in Colorado in 2009; the policy aimed to target low-income and teen women to reduce unintended pregnancy throughout the state. Using a difference-in-differences design, I estimate the differential impacts of the policy on high school graduation rates. I use Colorado school districts with a Title X clinic as the treated group and Colorado school districts without Title X clinics as the control group to compare female graduation rates before and after the implementation of the CFPI. Overall, the Colorado Family Planning Initiative’s effect on White female high school graduation rates was positive, increasing 1.2 percentage points at a 5 percent significance level. White male graduation rates showed a similar effect, which may indicate that males and females are both impacted or that other trends are driving the estimates. This study also suggests that LARCs used in the CFPI did not yield improved high school educational outcomes for Black and Hispanic women; therefore, future research should investigate why these differences exist between different groups.
Recommended Citation
Godbold, Emily Anne, "The Effects of Expanding Long-Acting Reversible Contraception on Female High School Graduation Rates" (2020). All Theses. 3417.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3417