Working Paper: NBER ID: w28360
Authors: Tatyana Deryugina; Olga Shurchkov; Jenna E. Stearns
Abstract: The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent countermeasures, such as school closures, the shift to working from home, and social distancing are disrupting economic activity around the world. As with other major economic shocks, there are winners and losers, leading to increased inequality across certain groups. In this project, we investigate the effects of COVID-19 disruptions on the gender gap in academia. We administer a global survey to a broad range of academics across various disciplines to collect nuanced data on the respondents’ circumstances, such as a spouse’s employment, the number and ages of children, and time use. We find that female academics, particularly those who have children, report a disproportionate reduction in time dedicated to research relative to what comparable men and women without children experience. Both men and women report substantial increases in childcare and housework burdens, but women experienced significantly larger increases than men did.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: D10; J16; J4
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 disruptions (F69) | reduction in research time for female academics (J16) |
| having children (J13) | reduction in research time for female academics (J16) |
| COVID-19 disruptions (F69) | increased time on childcare and housework (D13) |
| reduction in research time for female academics (J16) | increased time on childcare and housework (D13) |
| having children (J13) | negative productivity shock for female academics (J16) |
| young children under the age of 7 (J13) | negative productivity shock for female academics (J16) |