Document Type
Discussion Paper
Publication Date
12-2025
CFDP Number
2489
CFDP Pages
90
Abstract
Black mothers with a trial of labor are 25 percent more likely to deliver by C-section than non-Hispanic White mothers. The gap is largest among mothers with the lowest risk and is reduced by only one-fifth when controlling for observed medical risk factors, sociodemographic characteristics, hospital, and physician or medical practice group. Remarkably, the gap disappears when performing a C-section is more costly due to a concurrent pre-labor C-section limiting surgical resources. This finding is consistent with provider discretion—rather than differences in unobserved medical risk—accounting for persistent racial disparities in delivery method. The additional intrapartum C-sections that occur among low-risk women when hospitals are unconstrained negatively impact infant health.
Recommended Citation
Corredor-Waldron, Adriana; Currie, Janet; and Schnell, Molly, "Drivers of Racial Differences in C-Sections" (2025). Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers. 2916.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cowles-discussion-paper-series/2916