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The gender gap in aversion to COVID-19 exposure: evidence from professional tennis

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  • Piotr Lewandowski
  • Zuzanna Kowalik

Abstract

We study the gender differences in aversion to COVID-19 exposure. We use a natural experiment of the 2020 US Open which was organised in the country with the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths and was the first major professional tennis tournament after the season was paused for six months. We analyse the gender gap in the propensity to voluntarily withdraw because of COVID-19 concerns among players who were eligible and fit to play. We find that female players are significantly more likely to withdraw from the 2020 US Open. While players from countries characterised by higher trust, higher patience, and lower risk taking are more likely to withdraw, female players exhibit significantly higher aversion to pandemic exposure also if cross-country differences in preferences are accounted for. About 15-20% of the probability to withdraw explained by our model can be attributed to gender.

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  • Piotr Lewandowski & Zuzanna Kowalik, 2020. "The gender gap in aversion to COVID-19 exposure: evidence from professional tennis," IBS Working Papers 09/2020, Instytut Badan Strukturalnych.
    • Handle: RePEc:ibt:wpaper:wp092020
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    Cited by:

    1. Rafael Martínez-Gallego & Juan Pedro Fuentes-García & Miguel Crespo, 2021. "COVID-19 Prevention Measures Implemented by Tennis Coaches: The Role of Continent, Experience, and Type of Facility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Miguel Crespo & Rafael Martínez-Gallego & Jesús Ramón-Llin, 2021. "Tennis Coaches’ Perceptions of Covid-19 Impact on Their Health and Professional Activity: A Multi-Cultural Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-10, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; exposure to disease; gender; aversion; tennis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations

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