Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP16767
Authors: Graziella Bertocchi; Luca Bonacini; Marina Murat
Abstract: We investigate the gender gap in Economics among bachelor's and master's graduates in Italy between 2010 and 2019. First we establish that being female exerts a negative impact on the choice to major in Economics: at the bachelor level, only 73 women graduate in Economics for every 100 men, with the mathematical content of high school curricula as the key driver of the effect and a persistence of the gap at the master level. Second, within a full menu of major choices, Economics displays the largest gap, followed by STEM and then Business Economics. Third, decomposition analyses expose a unique role for the math background in driving the Economics gender gap relative to other fields. Fourth, a triple difference analysis of a high school reform shows that an increase in the math content of traditionally low math curricula caused an increase in the Economics gender gap among treated students.
Keywords: education; gender gap; economics; higher education; business; economics major choice; major switching; mathematics; stereotypes
JEL Codes: A22; I23; J16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Being female (J16) | Choice to major in economics (A12) |
| High school math content (C02) | Choice to major in economics (A12) |
| High school reform increasing math content (A21) | Gender gap in economics (J16) |
| Math background (C02) | Gender gap in economics (J16) |