Minimum wage increases are linked to safer pregnancies

(Press-News.org) Increases to the minimum wage may do more than bolster household income, reduce inequality and enhance worker well-being: They may also help make pregnancies safer, according to new research from Rutgers University.

A study published online ahead of the Fe in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that state-level increases in the minimum wage are associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States.

The study, led by Slawa Rokicki, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, found that a $1 or greater increase in the minimum wage was associated with 64 fewer cases of maternal hypertensive disorders per 100,000 women over five years.

“There is an abundance of research linking higher minimum wages to improved health outcomes,” Rokicki said. “Our findings add to that evidence by showing meaningful benefits for maternal health.”

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy – including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia – pose serious risks to both mother and baby. Elevated blood pressure during pregnancy increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and seizures, and is associated with preterm birth.

In 2023, hypertensive disorders caused about 16% of maternal deaths globally, the equivalent to about 42,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Rates of these conditions are significantly higher among women living in lower-income communities, where chronic stress and economic insecurity are more prevalent. Women also are more likely than men to earn minimum wage.

Although the causes of obstetric disorders are multifaceted, existing literature shows that structural and social determinants of health, such as economic security, play critical roles, Rokicki said.

“Social determinants of health have an important impact on people's well-being across their life course, and it’s no different for pregnancy,” Rokicki said.

To examine the relationship between minimum wage policy and maternal health, Rokicki and coauthor Mark McGovern, a health economist and associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, analyzed 28 years of state-level data from the Global Burden of Disease study alongside changes in state minimum wage laws from 1992 to 2019.

During that period, 61 state-level minimum wage increases of at least $1 occurred. The researchers compared maternal health outcomes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia before and after these changes, while accounting for demographic factors, political context and other economic policies such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The greatest reductions in hypertensive disorders appeared two to four years after a wage increase – a lag that likely reflected the time it takes for higher wages to translate into reduced stress, improved nutrition and healthier behaviors, Rokicki said.

The findings are particularly relevant for the 20 states where the minimum wage remains at or below the federal level of $7.25 per hour, she said. (In states where mandated wages are less than $7.25, the federal rate generally applies).

“The federal minimum wage hasn't been raised since 2009; it’s a poverty wage and is worth less now than it was in the 1960s,” Rokicki said. “Increasing the minimum wage is going to have profound impacts on peoples’ lives; the research on that is indisputable. We find it also has important impacts on health during pregnancy.”

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