Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14082
Authors: Graziella Bertocchi; Monica Bozzano
Abstract: This chapter reviews the growing body of research in economics which concentrates on the education gender gap and its evolution, over time and across countries. The survey first focuses on gender differentials in the historical period that roughly goes from 1850 to the 1940s and documents the deep determinants of the early phase of female education expansion, including pre-industrial conditions, religion, and family and kinship patterns. Next, the survey describes the stylized facts of contemporaneous gender gaps in education, from the 1950s to the present day, accounting for several alternative measures of attainment and achievement and for geographic and temporal differentiations. The determinants of the gaps are then summarized, while keeping a strong emphasis on an historical perspective and disentangling factors related to the labor market, family formation, psychological elements, and societal cultural norms. A discussion follows of the implications of the education gender gap for multiple realms, from economic growth to family life, taking into account the potential for reverse causation. Special attention is devoted to the persistency of gender gaps in the STEM and economics fields.
Keywords: education; gender gaps
JEL Codes: J1; N3; O1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Historical economic development (N13) | Female literacy and education (I24) |
| Female literacy and education (I24) | Gender gap in education (I24) |
| Cultural and religious factors (Z12) | Female education (I24) |
| Protestantism (Z12) | Higher literacy rates among women (I24) |
| Patriarchal family systems (J12) | Lower educational attainment for females (I24) |
| Labor market dynamics (J29) | Increased educational attainment for women (I24) |