Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/180550 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11532
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper argues that the socialist episode in East Germany, which constituted a radical experiment in gender equality in the labor market and other instances, has left persistent tracks on gender norms. We focus on one of the most resilient and pervasive gender gaps in modern societies: mathematics. Using the German division as a natural experiment, we show that the underperformance of girls in math is sharply reduced in the regions of the former GDR, in contrast with those of the former FRG. We show that this East-West difference is due to girls' attitudes, confidence and competitiveness in math, and not to other confounding factors, such as the difference in economic conditions or teaching styles across the former political border. We also provide illustrative evidence that the gender gap in math is smaller in European countries that used to be part of the Soviet bloc, as opposed to the rest of Europe. The lesson is twofold: (1) a large part of the pervasive gender gap in math is due to social stereotypes; (2) institutions can durably modify these stereotypes.
Subjects: 
gender gap in math
institutions
German division
gender stereotypes
JEL: 
I2
J16
J24
P36
Z13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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