Meiqing Ren

Welcome! I am an applied microeconomist interested in labor, health, and gender economics. I received my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

My job market paper analyzes the effects of state infertility insurance mandates in the United States that require employer-sponsored health insurance plans to cover infertility treatments. I find that women of later childbearing age (30-45) are less likely to become self-employed as a result of the mandates. My results show unintended consequences on women's entrepreneurship and provide evidence of entrepreneurship lock (i.e., a lockout effect).

• Primary Fields: Labor, Health

• Secondary Fields: Entrepreneurship, Gender