This study examines the relationship between Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and fertility by focusing on births to women through age 23 using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. It focuses on the impact of AFDC on births directly associated with AFDC, on out-of-wedlock births, and on all births. In addition, it examines the importance of AFDC on subsequent births to women who already have a child. The author uses these data to examine whether AFDC promotes out-of-wedlock birth or encourages welfare mothers to have more children either to increase their incomes or to remain on the welfare rolls.
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