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Are Australian women over-cooking their babies?
On July 1, 2004, Australia's government began offering a $3000 bonus to women who gave birth. Though the bonus was announced only seven weeks before July 1, 2004, a new study (pdf) finds that about 1,000 births were strategically delayed until the bonus went into effect. The researchers further found that more babies were born on July 1, 2004, than on any day in the last thirty years.Now, on July 1 of this year, the "baby bonus" will be raised from $4,187 to $5000, and some academics are wondering whether women might again try to delay giving birth-- however that works-- until July 1.
One article quotes an Australian economist who worries that raising the bonus suddenly, rather than phasing it in, might serve as an "unhealthy incentive for women to over-cook their babies."
So women of Australia, remember: If you've got a bun in the oven, make sure you don't over-cook it.
[Via Marginal Revolution]
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