Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/336962 
Year of Publication: 
2026
Series/Report no.: 
QBS Working Paper No. 2026/02
Publisher: 
Queen's University Belfast, Queen's Business School, Belfast
Abstract: 
We study whether digital platforms for high-skilled professionals level the playing field or reproduce traditional gender inequalities. Using high-frequency data on physicians, we examine gender differences in labor supply, pricing, patient engagement, and platform visibility. Although the platform equalizes supply-side margins of working hours and fees, female physicians experience lower demand, reduced search visibility, and lower reputation metrics. Investigating the underlying mechanisms, experimental evidence indicates taste-based discrimination, while text-analysis of patient reviews finds no gender differential. These findings underscore the potential role of platforms in reducing institutional constraints but not demand-side biases, with reputation metrics playing a crucial mitigation role.
Subjects: 
gender bias
digital platforms
healthcare
high-skilled professionals
JEL: 
J16
J24
I11
O33
L86
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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