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j-humanresources.bsky.social
In our new #SpecialIssue, Sarah Miller, Petra Persson, @maya-rossin-slater.bsky.social and Laura R. Wherry
analyze the effects of a c-section reduction intervention. Mothers had 2.1% more employment return and 15.2% less subsequent preterm delivery.
doi.org/10.3368/jhr....
#EconomicsOfChildren
The Labor Market and Health Impacts of Reducing Cesarean Section Deliveries Sarah Miller, Petra Persson, Maya Rossin-Slater and Laura R. Wherry We study an intervention that reduced cesarean deliveries among low-risk first-time mothers, using California birth records linked to earnings data. Exposed mothers were 8% less likely to have a c-section, with no adverse health effects. We find suggestive evidence that they were more likely to return to their pre-birth employer and had higher within-firm earnings rankings in the quarter postbirth. These labor market gains fade over time. However, mothers who had a second child were less likely to have a c-section or preterm delivery, suggesting our estimated effects from avoiding a first c-section may be lower bounds on total gains.
October 27, 2026 at 7:29 PM