ABSTRACT

Many independent states liberalized induced abortion statutes between 1950 and 2011, while many others retained repressive ones. This project attributes these reforms to the legal recognition of civil rights for women – i.e. freedom of mobility, their rights to paid employment, property ownership and justice. By broadening available life choices, civil rights recognition increases the opportunity cost of unwanted maternity thereby expanding women’s resources for mobilizing support for abortion reform. Using a database of 195 independent states and event-history models, the study shows that countries where women enjoy more civil rights are significantly more likely to pass socioeconomic and on demand liberalizations.

摘要

1950年至2011年之间，许多独立国家放宽了人工流产法规，而其他许多国家则保留了压制性法规。该项目将这些改革归因于妇女对公民权利的法律承认，例如，迁徙自由，妇女的有偿就业权，财产所有权和正义。通过扩大可用的生活选择，对公民权利的承认增加了不想要的生育的机会成本，从而扩大了妇女的资源，以动员对堕胎改革的支持。使用195个独立国家和事件历史模型的数据库，研究表明，妇女享有更多公民权利的国家通过社会经济和按需自由化的可能性大大提高。