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Stereotypes in Financial Literacy: Evidence from PISA

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  • Lusardi, Annamaria
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Abstract

We examine gender differences in financial literacy among high school students in Italy using data from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Gender differences in financial literacy are large among the young in Italy. They are present in all regions and are particularly severe in the South and the Islands. Combining the rich PISA data with a variety of other indicators, we provide a thorough analysis of the potential determinants of the gender gap in financial literacy. We find that parental background, in particular the role of mothers, matters for the financial knowledge of girls. Moreover, we show that the social and cultural environment in which girls and boys live plays a crucial role in explaining gender differences. We also show that history matters: Medieval commercial hubs and the nuclear family structure created conditions favorable to the transformation of the role of women in society, and shaped gender differences in financial literacy as well.

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  • Lusardi, Annamaria & ,, 2020. "Stereotypes in Financial Literacy: Evidence from PISA," CEPR Discussion Papers 15429, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:15429
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    9. Trang M. T. Phung & Quoc N. Tran & Phuong Nguyen‐Hoang & Nhut H. Nguyen & Tho H. Nguyen, 2023. "The role of learning motivation on financial knowledge among Vietnamese college students," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 529-563, January.
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    19. Sigurdur Gudjonsson & Inga Minelgaite & Kari Kristinsson & Sigrún Pálsdóttir, 2022. "Financial Literacy and Gender Differences: Women Choose People While Men Choose Things?," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-9, November.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pisa; Financial literacy; Gender;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • G53 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Financial Literacy

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