We examine the impact of giving birth on athletic performance of players
in the Women’s National Basketball Association. Using data from media reports and
National Womens Basketball Players Association records we specify a productivity
model and use a differences-in-means approach to investigate. We do not find any
impact of giving birth on player performance in the sample. In the wake of the
Gunnarsdottir maternity leave decision against Club Lyon, this research could help
inform league policies concerning maternity leave and also contribute to the broader
conversation about gender discrimination in the workplace based on perceptions of
productivity before and after giving birth.
