Hours Constraints, Occupational Choice, and Gender: Evidence from Medical Residents

Abstract

Do the long work hours required by many high-paying professions inhibit the entry of women? I investigate this question by studying a 2003 policy that capped the average workweek for medical residents at 80 hours. Using data on the universe of U.S. medical school graduates, I find that when a specialty reduces its weekly hours, more women enter the specialty, whereas there is little change in men’s entry. I provide some evidence that the reform increases a specialty’s female fertility rate, implying that women’s career paths diverge from men’s in part because long work hours differentially constrain female fertility timing.