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Occupational Hazard? An Analysis of Birth Outcomes among Physician Mothers

Author

Listed:
  • Jena, Anupam B.

    (NBER)

  • Slusky, David

    (University of Kansas)

  • Springer, Lilly

    (University of Kansas)

Abstract

Training to become a physician involves long work hours that can be physically demanding, particularly for surgeons. Are birth outcomes of physician mothers affected as a result? Using Texas birth data from 2007-2014, we compared birth outcomes between physicians and another highly educated group, lawyers, and between surgeons and non-surgeon physicians. Further, using a difference-in-differences framework, we examine whether the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 2011 duty hour reform, which lowered trainee work hours, impacted the birth outcomes of babies born to physicians compared with lawyers. We find that physicians have lower birth weights and shorter pregnancies than lawyers with the results driven by physicians in surgical specialties. However, the duty hour reform appears to not have impacted birth outcomes. Thus, we find that physicians tend to have worse birth outcomes than lawyers and, in this case, the work reform did little to address the difference.

Suggested Citation

  • Jena, Anupam B. & Slusky, David & Springer, Lilly, 2023. "Occupational Hazard? An Analysis of Birth Outcomes among Physician Mothers," IZA Discussion Papers 16655, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16655
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    physicians; surgeons; birth outcomes; birthweight; pregnancy length; duty hour reform;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law

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