Prior work has highlighted marked social disparities in births after Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) as socio-economically advantaged couples are, on average, considerably more likely to use MAR treatments to conceive. Recent research suggests multiple mechanisms – such as the (un)affordability of the MAR treatments and geographic proximity to infertility clinics – are likely to be involved in explaining this association, yet the extent to which these differences are due to barriers in accessing MAR or lower demands for MAR treatments amongst less socio-economically advantaged couples is still not fully understood. An aspect which has so far been overlooked in this emerging area of work is the fact that social disparities in MAR births could emerge not only before but also after accessing MAR treatments. Using data from Finnish administrative registers covering all childless women in the Finnish population in 1995 who underwent MAR treatments between 1995-2015, we explore whether the chances of live birth after MAR vary by socioeconomic status. The results show large inequalities in the probability of having a live birth throughout the MAR process between more and less advantaged women. The results suggest that a non-negligible portion of the social inequalities in MAR births could emerge throughout the MAR process.
Presented by:
Alice Goisis (UCL)
Date & time:
1 May 2024 12:30 pm - 1 May 2024 13:30 pm
Venue:
2N2.4.16 (to join us online, please contact the seminar series organisers at iserseminars@essex.ac.uk)
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