Number of Children, Part-Time Work, and Household Responsibilities Among US Pediatricians by Sex.

OBJECTIVE

To assess how number of children relates to part-time work, partner employment, and household responsibilities among female and male pediatricians.

METHODS

We analyzed weighted 2024 data from 2029 participants in the American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study, representing 3 national age cohorts of pediatricians. Respondents reported number and ages of children, part-time work, partner work status, and division of household responsibilities. Logistic regression models examined associations between sex, number of children, and their interaction for 6 dependent variables: part-time work, partner work status, and 4 domains of household responsibility.

RESULTS

Male pediatricians were more likely than female pediatricians to have 3 or more children (33.8% vs 25.2%, P < .001). More female pediatricians were 32 years or older when they became parents compared with male pediatricians (60.5% vs 50.5%; P < .001). Female pediatricians' likelihood of working part-time increased with number of children (12.7% with no children, 40.3% with 4 or more children, P < .001), whereas male pediatricians' did not. Male pediatricians were more likely to have a partner who worked part-time or not at all (53.7% vs 21.1%, P < .001). For household tasks-including identifying needs, planning, executing, and monitoring tasks-female pediatricians' primary responsibility increased with number of children, while male pediatricians' decreased or remained stable (all interactions P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Sex disparities in the relationship between number of children, work status, and household roles were found among pediatricians. Female pediatricians shoulder greater household management burdens as family size grows, possibly contributing to persistent inequities in career advancement and work-life integration.