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Holiday, Just One Day out of Life: Birth Timing and Postnatal Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Mireille Jacobson
  • Maria Kogelnik
  • Heather Royer

Abstract

Fewer births occur on major US holidays than would otherwise be expected. We use California data to study the nature and health implications of this birth date manipulation. We document 18% fewer births on the day of and just after a holiday. Cesarean sections account for roughly half of the decline. “Missing” holiday births are displaced to a window of time 11 days before the holiday through 16 days after the holiday. High-risk births are more likely to be rescheduled. Despite the change in timing, we find little evidence of any adverse health consequences for babies born around a holiday.

Suggested Citation

  • Mireille Jacobson & Maria Kogelnik & Heather Royer, 2021. "Holiday, Just One Day out of Life: Birth Timing and Postnatal Outcomes," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(S2), pages 651-702.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/712493
    DOI: 10.1086/712493
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    Cited by:

    1. Libertad González & Parijat Maitra, 2025. "Born Too Soon? The Educational Costs of Early Elective Deliveries," Working Papers 1539, Barcelona School of Economics.
    2. Carolina Melo & Naercio Menezes‐Filho, 2023. "The effects of a national policy to reduce c‐sections in Brazil," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(2), pages 501-517, February.
    3. Carolina Melo & Naercio Menezes‐Filho, 2024. "The effect of birth timing manipulation around carnival on birth indicators in Brazil," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(9), pages 2013-2058, September.
    4. Fredriksson, Peter & Huttunen, Kristiina & Öckert, Björn, 2022. "School starting age, maternal age at birth, and child outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    5. Anne Ardila Brenøe & Serena Canaan & Nikolaj A. Harmon & Heather N. Royer, 2024. "Is Parental Leave Costly for Firms and Coworkers?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 42(4), pages 1135-1174.
    6. Pilvar, Hanifa & Yousefi, Kowsar, 2021. "Changing physicians’ incentives to control the C-section rate: Evidence from a major health care reform in Iran," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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