Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/284062 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. WP 2023-21
Publisher: 
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Abstract: 
Many observers argue that diversity in Economics and STEM fields is critical, not simply because of egalitarian goals, but because who is in a field may shape what is studied by it. If increasing the rate of majoring in mathematically-intensive fields among women is a worthy goal, then understanding whether women's colleges causally affect that choice is important. Among all admitted applicants to Wellesley College, enrollees are 7.2 percentage points (94%) more likely to receive an Economics degree than non-enrollees (a plausible lower bound given negative selection into enrollment on math skills and major preferences). Overall, 3.2 percentage points - or 44% of the difference between enrollees and non-enrollees - is explained by college exposure to female instructors and students, consistent with a wider role for women's colleges in increasing female participation in Economics.
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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