The effect of prenatal exposure to Ramadan on human capital: evidence from Turkey

Gokben Aydilek () and Deniz Karaoğlan ()
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Gokben Aydilek: Gebze Technical University
Deniz Karaoğlan: Gebze Technical University

Journal of Population Economics, 2024, vol. 37, issue 3, No 9, 35 pages

Abstract: Abstract This study aims to analyze the effect of prenatal exposure to certain nutritional disruptions in utero on human capital formation. In order to resolve the endogeneity driven by maternal dietary deficiencies, we use the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which observers abstain from eating and drinking entirely from sunrise to sunset, as a natural experiment to assess the effects of fetal malnourishment on educational and labor market outcomes. We compare schooling and employment measures of individuals who are prenatally exposed to Ramadan with those who are not using the 2016 round of the Turkish Family Structure Survey dataset. Our results indicate that men who are exposed to Ramadan in utero in the first or third trimester complete 0.53 fewer years of schooling and are less likely to obtain middle school, high school, and college degrees. These effects are stronger when Ramadan coincides with summer.

Keywords: Prenatal exposure; Pregnancy; Ramadan; Fetal origins; Education; Human capital; Natural experiment; Multiple hypothesis testing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I15 I20 J13 J16 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s00148-024-01042-7

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