òòò½Íø Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
School Is Out: Is the Doctor In? Gender Gaps in Holiday Work among Parent Physicians
òòò½Íø Papers and Proceedings
vol. 115,
May 2025
(pp. 238–42)
Abstract
Using linked insurance claims and birth records, we provide new evidence on the gender gap in parents' work among physicians. On typical weekdays, women are 10 percent less likely than men to bill any claims. On minor holidays (e.g. Columbus Day)—when many physicians' offices remain open, but schools close—this gender gap in work grows to 25 percent. However, on major holidays (e.g. Christmas)—when most offices close—men and women bill at equally low rates. These results suggest that a mismatch between workplace expectations and predictable disruptions in childcare may exacerbate the gender gap in work.Citation
Agha, Leila, Na'ama Shenhav, and Myles Wagner. 2025. "School Is Out: Is the Doctor In? Gender Gaps in Holiday Work among Parent Physicians." òòò½Íø Papers and Proceedings 115: 238–42. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20251014Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I11 Analysis of Health Care Markets
- I21 Analysis of Education
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J44 Professional Labor Markets; Occupational Licensing