Working Paper: NBER ID: w27196
Authors: David Autor; David N. Figlio; Krzysztof Karbownik; Jeffrey Roth; Melanie Wasserman
Abstract: Analyzing Florida birth certificates matched to school records, we document that the female advantage in childhood behavioral and academic outcomes is driven by gender gaps at the extremes of the outcome distribution. Using unconditional quantile regression, we investigate whether family socioeconomic status (SES) differentially affects the lower tail outcomes of boys. We find that the differential effects of family SES on boys’ outcomes are concentrated in the parts of the distribution where the gender gaps are most pronounced. Accounting for the disproportionate effects of family environment on boys at the tails substantially narrows the gender gap in high school dropout.
Keywords: socioeconomic status; gender gap; educational outcomes; high school dropout
JEL Codes: I24; J12; J13; J16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| gender gap in potential outcomes (I24) | family SES (I24) |
| family SES (I24) | boys' neonatal health (J13) |
| boys' outcomes (I24) | dropout rates (I21) |
| girls' outcomes (I24) | dropout rates (I21) |
| family socioeconomic status (SES) (I24) | educational outcomes (I26) |
| family socioeconomic status (SES) (I24) | boys' outcomes (I24) |
| family socioeconomic status (SES) (I24) | girls' outcomes (I24) |
| family socioeconomic status (SES) (I24) | dropout rates (I21) |