The Miracle Drugs: Hormone Replacement Therapy and Labor Market Behavior of Middle-Aged Women

29 Pages Posted: 25 Mar 2012

See all articles by N. Meltem Daysal

N. Meltem Daysal

Tilburg University; IZA

Chiara Orsini

University of Sheffield; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - London School of Economics

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Abstract

In an aging society, determining which factors contribute to the employment of older individuals is increasingly important. We examine the impact of medical innovations on the employment of middle-aged women focusing on the specific case of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a common treatment for the alleviation of negative menopausal symptoms. HRT medications were among the most popular prescriptions in the United States until 2002 when the Women's Health Initiative Study – the largest randomized control trial on women ever undertaken – documented the health risks associated with their long term use. We exploit the release of these findings within a Fixed Effect Instrumental Variable framework to address the endogeneity in HRT use. Our results indicate substantial benefits of HRT use to the short-term employment of middle-aged women.

Keywords: employment, pharmaceutical treatments, Hormone Replacement Therapy

JEL Classification: I1, H8, J2

Suggested Citation

Daysal, N. Meltem and Orsini, Chiara, The Miracle Drugs: Hormone Replacement Therapy and Labor Market Behavior of Middle-Aged Women. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7993, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2028298 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2028298

N. Meltem Daysal (Contact Author)

Tilburg University ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, DC Noord-Brabant 5000 LE
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://www.meltemdaysal.com

IZA ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.meltemdaysal.com

Chiara Orsini

University of Sheffield ( email )

17 Mappin Street
Sheffield, Sheffield S1 4DT
United Kingdom

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - London School of Economics ( email )

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