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Adams and Eves: The Gender Gap in Economics Majors

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  • Bertocchi, Graziella
  • Bonacini, Luca
  • Murat, Marina

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.

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  • Bertocchi, Graziella & Bonacini, Luca & Murat, Marina, 2021. "Adams and Eves: The Gender Gap in Economics Majors," CEPR Discussion Papers 16767, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16767
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education gender gap; Economics; Higher education; Business economics; Major choice; Major switching; Mathematics; Stereotypes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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