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The Impact of Advisor Gender on Female Students’ STEM Enrollment and Persistence

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  • Serena Canaan
  • Pierre Mouganie

Abstract

To reduce the gender gap in science fields, policymakers often propose providing women with mentoring by female scientists. However, there is no clear evidence on whether one-on-one mentor gender influences women’s STEM participation. We exploit a unique setting where students are randomly assigned to academic advisors—who are also faculty members—in their freshman year of college. Advisors help students select courses and decide on a major. We find that having a female rather than a male science advisor substantially increases the likelihood that women enroll and graduate with STEM degrees. A nonscience advisor’s gender has no impact on students’ major choice.

Suggested Citation

  • Serena Canaan & Pierre Mouganie, 2023. "The Impact of Advisor Gender on Female Students’ STEM Enrollment and Persistence," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(2), pages 593-632.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:58:y:2023:i:2:p:593-632
    Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.58.4.0320-10796R2
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Goller & Stefan C. Wolter, 2023. "Reaching for gold! The impact of a positive reputation shock on career choice," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0208, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    2. Takao Kato & Yang Song, 2022. "Advising, gender, and performance: Evidence from a university with exogenous adviser–student gender match," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(1), pages 121-141, January.
    3. Meijun Liu & Sijie Yang & Yi Bu & Ning Zhang, 2023. "Female early-career scientists have conducted less interdisciplinary research in the past six decades: evidence from doctoral theses," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Wolter, Stefan C. & Zöllner, Thea, 2024. "Are Parents an Obstacle to Gender-Atypical Occupational Choices?," IZA Discussion Papers 16955, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Elena Chechik, 2024. "Gender disparities in research fields in Russia: dissertation authors and their mentors," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(6), pages 3341-3358, June.
    6. Zhang, Guangnan & Lin, Junjie, 2024. "The local driving safety effect of motorcycle restrictions: Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 222-236.
    7. Gerald J. Pruckner & Flora Stiftinger & Katrin Zocher, 2024. "When women take over: Physician gender and health care provision," Economics working papers 2024-04, Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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