Long-Term Health Benefits of Occupational Licensing: Evidence from Midwifery Laws.

ABSTRACT: During the late 19^th and early 20^th century, several states mandated midwifery licensing requirements to improve midwives' knowledge, education, and quality. Previous studies point to the health benefits of midwifery quality improvements for maternal and infant health outcomes. This paper exploits the staggered adoption of midwifery laws across states using event-study and difference-in-difference frameworks. We use the universe of death records in the US over the years 1979-2020 and find that exposure to a midwifery licensing law at birth is associated with a 2.5 percent reduction in cumulative mortality rates and an increase of 0.6 months in longevity during adulthood and old age. The effects are concentrated on deaths due to infectious diseases, neoplasm diseases,

SUBMITTER: Noghanibehambari H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10841694 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature