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Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
Published on: March 1, 2019
Who cares about childcare? Covid-19 and gender differences in local public spending
Alda Marchese1,2, Paola Profeta2, Giulia Savio2,3
1Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The Covid-19 pandemic increased the salience of childcare and focused attention on the allocation of public funds for it. Focusing on Italy, one of the first countries severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, we analyze how male and female politicians responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in the allocation of funds to childcare. To assess causality, we analyze close mixed-gender races in Italian local elections in small municipalities without gender quotas from 2016 to 2023. Our findings show that pre Covid-19 female mayors spent more on childcare than male mayors. However, during the pandemic, the gender gap closed, as male mayors increased spending, a trend that continued in the post pandemic period.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10797-025-09887-8.
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