| Summary: | This paper examines the relationship between maternal exposure to violence
during pregnancy and newborn birthweight. The identification strategy exploits
variation in the timing of exposure and in the geographic location of expectant
mothers across Colombian municipalities. Exposure to violence in early pregnancy
had a large negative impact on birthweight, primarily for boys, and the
effect was mitigated by their mothers' education. Girls' birthweight was affected
mainly by shocks in later stages of gestation. Furthermore, their mothers were
more likely to engage in potentially harmful behaviors during the pregnancy.
This evidence exposes the importance of parental responses in shaping the effect
of exposure to violence on newborn health.
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