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Gender Differences in Sickness Absence and the Gender Division of Family Responsibilities

Author

Listed:
  • Angelov, Nikolay

    (Uppsala Center for Fiscal Studies)

  • Johansson, Per

    (Uppsala University)

  • Lindahl, Erica

    (IFAU)

Abstract

This study investigates possible reasons for the gender difference in sickness absence. We estimate both short- and long-term effects of parenthood in a within-couple analysis based on the timing of parenthood. We find that after entering parenthood, women increase their sickness absence by between 0.5 days per month (during the child's third year) and 0.85 days per month (during year 17) more than their spouse. By investigating possible explanations for the observed effect, we conclude that the effect mainly stems from higher home commitment, which reduces women's labour market attachment and, in turn, increases female sickness absence.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelov, Nikolay & Johansson, Per & Lindahl, Erica, 2013. "Gender Differences in Sickness Absence and the Gender Division of Family Responsibilities," IZA Discussion Papers 7379, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7379
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    Cited by:

    1. Margareta Dackehag & Ulf-G. Gerdtham & Martin Nordin, 2015. "Productivity or discrimination? An economic analysis of excess-weight penalty in the Swedish labor market," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(6), pages 589-601, July.
    2. de la Croix, David & Pommeret, Aude, 2021. "Childbearing postponement, its option value, and the biological clock," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Norén, Anna, 2015. "Childcare and the division of parental leave," Working Paper Series 2015:24, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    4. Eliason, Marcus & Johansson, Per & Nilsson, Martin, 2018. "Forward-looking moral hazard in social insurance: evidence from a natural experiment," Working Paper Series 2018:11, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    5. Nilsson, Martin, 2015. "Economic incentives and long-term sickness absence: the indirect effect of replacement rates on absence behavior," Working Paper Series 2015:17, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    6. Anne Grönlund & Ida Öun, 2020. "Minding the Care Gap: Daycare Usage and the Negotiation of Work, Family and Gender Among Swedish Parents," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 259-280, August.
    7. Eliason, Marcus & Johansson, Per & Nilsson, Martin, 2019. "Forward-looking moral hazard in social insurance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 84-98.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    double burden; health investment; household work; labour market work; moral hazard; parenthood; sickness insurance; work absence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • I19 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Other
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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