Gender Differences in Economics Course-Taking and Majoring : Findings from an RCT
This paper reports on gender differences in responses to a randomized controlled trial that provided encouragement and information nudges to take subsequent economics courses and major in the subject for students enrolled in large introductory econ...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/350341626715358542/Gender-Differences-in-Economics-Course-Taking-and-Majoring-Findings-from-an-RCT http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36005 |
| Summary: | This paper reports on gender differences
in responses to a randomized controlled trial that provided
encouragement and information nudges to take subsequent
economics courses and major in the subject for students
enrolled in large introductory economics classes at a large
elite public university. Two treatments combined
encouragement to major in economics with information on
either financial or prosocial returns to the major. Men
receiving either treatment were more likely to take an
additional economics course, but not to major in economics.
In contrast, the treatments were not estimated to
significantly affect women’s course-taking and majoring. Two
treatment mediators are also examined: expected versus
actual grade and having a female teaching assistant. There
were also differing effects of mediators on treatment
responses for men and women. Women were more nudge-able to
take another course when they received a
better-than-expected introductory class grade, and men were
more nudge-able to take another course when they had a
female teaching assistant. |
|---|