Kristine Hopkins investigated the situation in Brazil. Hopkins was formerly a Population Council Bernard Berelson Postdoctoral Fellow. She is currently at the University of Texas at Austin. Significance of Caesarean Deliveries As compared to vaginal deliveries, cesarean section deliveries are associated with increased maternal death, injury, and infection. In some cases, scheduled cesarean sections can result in babies being delivered prematurely, with less than fully developed lungs.
Cesarean deliveries are more costly than vaginal deliveries and require longer hospital stays.
In Brazil, a woman's education and region of residence are associated with her chances of delivering via cesarean section. The 1996 Brazil Demographic and Health Survey shows that while only 13 percent of uneducated Brazilian women delivered by cesarean, women who had completed primary education had a cesarean rate of 37 percent, those who completed secondary education had a cesarean rate of 55 percent, and those with more than a secondary education had a cesarean rate of 81 percent. Similarly, the same survey showed that 20 percent of rural women delivered surgically, compared to 42 percent of urban women. Some observers claim that doctors in Brazil prefer cesareans because they make more money and work shorter hours by doing them. Doctors, on the other hand, say that women prefer cesarean delivery because it allows them to avoid the pain of vaginal delivery, they recover their figures more quickly, they do not jeopardize future sexual functioning, and they believe it is safer for the baby.