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International Evidence on the Gender Gap in Education over the Past Six Decades: A Puzzle and an Answer to It

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  • Francisco Parro

Abstract

This paper presents novel worldwide evidence on the evolution of the gender gap in education over the past six decades. In every region of the world, I find that the gender gap increases from 1950 to 1975 and then decreases from 1975 to 2005. This path creates a puzzle since the existing explanations for the post-1975 boom in the higher education of women are not fully consistent with this evidence. To solve this puzzle, I highlight the missing element in the literature: the different nature of the forces behind the increases in the demand for education in the two periods.

Suggested Citation

  • Francisco Parro, 2012. "International Evidence on the Gender Gap in Education over the Past Six Decades: A Puzzle and an Answer to It," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(2), pages 150-185.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jhucap:doi:10.1086/666849
    DOI: 10.1086/666849
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    1. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz & Ilyana Kuziemko, 2006. "The Homecoming of American College Women: The Reversal of the College Gender Gap," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(4), pages 133-156, Fall.
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    5. Thomas Lemieux & David Card, 2001. "Going to College to Avoid the Draft: The Unintended Legacy of the Vietnam War," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 97-102, May.
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    8. Jacob, Brian A., 2002. "Where the boys aren't: non-cognitive skills, returns to school and the gender gap in higher education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 589-598, December.
    9. David Card & John E. DiNardo, 2002. "Skill-Biased Technological Change and Rising Wage Inequality: Some Problems and Puzzles," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(4), pages 733-783, October.
    10. Wood, Robert G & Corcoran, Mary E & Courant, Paul N, 1993. "Pay Differences among the Highly Paid: The Male-Female Earnings Gap in Lawyers' Salaries," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 11(3), pages 417-441, July.
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    12. Marianne Bertrand & Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 2010. "Dynamics of the Gender Gap for Young Professionals in the Financial and Corporate Sectors," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 228-255, July.
    13. David Dickson, 2001. "The price of success," Nature, Nature, vol. 413(6854), pages 355-356, September.
    14. Jessica Wolpaw Reyes, 2006. "Do Female Physicians Capture Their Scarcity Value? The Case of OB/GYNs," NBER Working Papers 12528, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    2. David Cuberes & Marc Teignier, 2016. "Aggregate Effects of Gender Gaps in the Labor Market: A Quantitative Estimate," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(1), pages 1-32.
    3. Matthias Westphal & Daniel A Kamhöfer & Hendrik Schmitz, 2022. "Marginal College Wage Premiums Under Selection Into Employment," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(646), pages 2231-2272.
    4. Iyigun, Murat & Lafortune, Jeanne, 2016. "Why Wait? A Century of Education, Marriage Timing and Gender Roles," IZA Discussion Papers 9671, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Pezzuti, Lina & Tommasi, Marco & Saggino, Aristide & Dawe, James & Lauriola, Marco, 2020. "Gender differences and measurement bias in the assessment of adult intelligence: Evidence from the Italian WAIS-IV and WAIS-R standardizations," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Parro Francisco, 2012. "A Supply-Demand Framework for Understanding the U.S. Gender Gap in Education," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-24, June.
    7. Riphahn & Caroline Schwientek, 2015. "What drives the reversal of the gender education gap? Evidence from Germany," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(53), pages 5748-5775, November.
    8. Lisa Beck-Werz & Bernd Frick & Thomas Fritz & Fabian Lensing, 2022. "Understanding the impact of gender and migration on high-ability students’ behavior: Exploring behavioral differences in business, law, and engineering students throughout their academic careers," Working Papers Dissertations 83, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    9. Elena Kotyrlo & Elena Varshavskaya, 2022. "Impact of the compulsory military service reform of 2007–2008 on the demand for higher education," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 715-735, October.
    10. Parro, Francisco & Reyes, Loreto, 2013. "The Chilean Labor Market: Job Creation, Quality, Inclusiveness, and Future Challenges," MPRA Paper 50755, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Kiss, Károly Miklós & Lőrincz, László & Ilyés, Virág & Varga, Kinga, 2024. "Földrajzi és nemek közötti bérkülönbségek a karrierszekvenciákban [Geographical and gender pay gaps in career paths]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(7), pages 701-727.
    12. Francisco Parro G. & Loreto Reyes R., 2019. "Economic growth and the Chilean labor market," Journal Economía Chilena (The Chilean Economy), Central Bank of Chile, vol. 22(2), pages 070-095, August.

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