CHE Seminar Series: The impact of Margaret Sanger’s birth control clinics on early 20th century U.S. fertility and mortality
In 1916, Margaret Sanger established the first birth control clinic in U.S. history. From the mid-1920s, “Sanger clinics” spread over the entire U.S. These clinics advised women on contraception, mainly by fitting diaphragms and explicitly instructing women how to use them effectively. Combining newly digitized data on the roll-out of these clinics, full-count Census data, and historical vital statistics, we find that the clinics accounted for 5.4–6.5 percent of the overall fertility decline across the U.S. until 1940. By increasing the spacing between births and reducing fertility, the clinics generated important health effects and reduced stillbirths and infant mortality.
Speaker profile
Stefan Bauernschuster is a Full Professor of Public Economics at the University of Passau, Research Professor at the Ifo Institute Munich, CESifo Research Fellow, IZA Research Fellow and a member of the committee for social policy of the German Economic Association. Prior to his current appointment, he was deputy head of the research area Social Policy and Labour Markets at the Ifo Institute Munich. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Jena. In his research, he uses micro-econometric methods to answer policy relevant questions in the fields of health, population and labor economics.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our Centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact Trong-Anh.Trinh@monash.edu
Event Details
- Date:
- 26 November 2025 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- Caulfield campus, Building H, level 9, room H9.14
- Categories:
- CHE Seminar; General
Description
In 1916, Margaret Sanger established the first birth control clinic in U.S. history. From the mid-1920s, “Sanger clinics” spread over the entire U.S. These clinics advised women on contraception, mainly by fitting diaphragms and explicitly instructing women how to use them effectively. Combining newly digitized data on the roll-out of these clinics, full-count Census data, and historical vital statistics, we find that the clinics accounted for 5.4–6.5 percent of the overall fertility decline across the U.S. until 1940. By increasing the spacing between births and reducing fertility, the clinics generated important health effects and reduced stillbirths and infant mortality.
Speaker profile
Stefan Bauernschuster is a Full Professor of Public Economics at the University of Passau, Research Professor at the Ifo Institute Munich, CESifo Research Fellow, IZA Research Fellow and a member of the committee for social policy of the German Economic Association. Prior to his current appointment, he was deputy head of the research area Social Policy and Labour Markets at the Ifo Institute Munich. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Jena. In his research, he uses micro-econometric methods to answer policy relevant questions in the fields of health, population and labor economics.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our Centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact Trong-Anh.Trinh@monash.edu