Akerlof-Yellin Explanation In a world without abortion or contraception,sex and babies are joint products So most women insisted on marriage or engagement as a condition of sex And could get that deal because most men had no good alternative source of sex With reliable contraception and legal abortion,the link is broken Women who don't want babies but want sex can offer it without the condition And their competition means some women who want both can't get it So end up having babies and rearing them without a man to help This assumes that,on traditional terms,men are relatively more interested in marriage for sex,women in marriage for babies This is the opposite of the predicted effect of the change Out-of-wedlock children were assumed to be unwanted children:Accidents Cause People With reliable contraception and abortion available there wouldn't be any Apparently they weren't unwanted Akerlof-Yellin Explanation • In a world without abortion or contraception, sex and babies are joint products • So most women insisted on marriage or engagement as a condition of sex • And could get that deal because most men had no good alternative source of sex • With reliable contraception and legal abortion, the link is broken • Women who don’t want babies but want sex can offer it without the condition • And their competition means some women who want both can’t get it • So end up having babies and rearing them without a man to help • This assumes that, on traditional terms, men are relatively more interested in marriage for sex, women in marriage for babies • This is the opposite of the predicted effect of the change • Out-of-wedlock children were assumed to be unwanted children: Accidents Cause People • With reliable contraception and abortion available there wouldn’t be any • Apparently they weren’t unwanted