In a survey published by Scioto Analysis this morning, 22 of 24 Ohio economists agreed abortion prohibition in Ohio would decrease women’s educational attainment and earnings.
Of the 22 who agreed abortion prohibition would decrease educational attainment, some said the impact would be small, but many cited the literature on the connection between abortion access and educational attainment. Others commented on the tradeoff women face between having children and earning degrees in secondary and higher education. Economists also commented on how low-income women would be affected more directly by a prohibition.
Of the 22 who agreed abortion prohibition would decrease wages, economists commented on the tradeoff women have between working and parenting. They also commented on how much more likely the prohibition would be to impact low-income women’s wages than higher-income women’s wages.
For reasons similar to the other two questions, 20 economists agreed abortion prohibition would decrease women’s labor force participation. Some economists talked about the impact of policy on this relationship, in particular talking about how the lack of access to child care could decrease labor force participation and income support programs with work requirements could increase it.
The Ohio Economic Experts Panel is a panel of over 40 Ohio Economists from over 30 Ohio higher educational institutions conducted by Scioto Analysis. The goal of the Ohio Economic Experts Panel is to promote better policy outcomes by providing policymakers, policy influencers, and the public with the informed opinions of Ohio’s leading economists.