Can Female Doctors Cure the Gender STEMM Gap? Evidence from Exogenously Assigned General Practitioners

Abstract

We use exogenously-assigned general practitioners to study the effects of female role models on educational outcomes of girls. Girls who are exposed to female GPs are more likely to sort into male-dominated education programs in high school, most notably STEMM. These effects persist as females enter college and select majors. The effects are larger for high-ability girls with low educated mothers, suggesting that female role models improve intergenerational mobility and narrow the gifted gap. This demonstrates that role model effects in education need not involve individuals in the classroom, but can arise due to everyday interactions with medical professionals.

Employment Protection and Child Development

“…However, if the GP has already referred the patient to a specialist for a specific illness or problem, the patient may continue to use the specialist for that specific purpose without going through the GP. Individuals are allowed to change the GP they have been assigned twice a year conditional on availability (Riise et al (2022)).…”

“…As described in Riise et al (2022), there are two important aspects of this process. First, in the event of list reductions, which patients to be removed from the list must be randomly determined.…”

When Parents Decide: Gender Differences in Competitiveness

“…However, as these conventional explanations have largely been ruled out (e.g., Hyde (2005), Ceci et al (2014), Card and Payne (2021)), increasing attention has been placed on alternative mechanisms. This includes the role of parenthood and child penalties (e.g., Kleven et al (2019)), the effect of mentors and role models (e.g., Riise et al (2020)), differences in bargaining ability (e.g., Card et al (2013)), and difference in the willingness to compete (e.g., Niederle and Vesterlund (2007)). We contribute to this literature by providing the first evidence on a previously overlooked obstacle to achieving gender wage parity: gender difference in parents' competitiveness choices for their children.…”

Does Your Doctor Matter? Doctor Quality and Patient Outcomes

“…For example, if the patient is brought into the emergency department, there is no interaction between the patient and their assigned GP (though the GP will be informed and updated on the condition of the patient). Prior to the introduction of the GP scheme in 2001, individuals were not assigned to a particular GP, and had to find a new GP every time they needed care (Riise, Willage, and Willén 2022). This proved to be a relatively cumbersome and timeconsuming exercise, and the GP scheme was meant to eliminate this inefficiency while at the same time improving doctor-patient relations.…”

“…11 When GPs retire, move, or for some other reason decide to terminate/reduce their current practice, patients on the GP's list are reassigned to new GPs in the municipality. As described in Riise, Willage, and Willén (2022), there are two important aspects of this process. First, in the event of list reductions, which patients to be removed from the list must be randomly determined.…”