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Why Do Boys and Girls Make Different Educational Choices? The Influence of Expected Earnings and Test Scores

Author

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  • Benoît Rapoport

    (University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and; Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques)

  • Claire Thibout

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

More often, girls choose educational pathways leading to low-paid jobs and less prestigious careers, despite having equal access to education and performing as well as boys at school. We estimate a model of educational choices, in which the anticipated cost of choosing a given stream depends on the skills in each subject and is allowed to differ between boys and girls. Using a cohort of French pupils, we show first that choices at grades 10 and 12 are driven by expected future earnings and second, that boys and girls value differently their test scores when choosing study paths. Differences appear less on major choices, but rather in the degree of selectivity. Generally, girls place less value than boys on their test scores in subjects that are relevant for the chosen field of study. In particular, girls under-estimate their skills in Sciences when choosing the most prestigious and competitive pathways.

Suggested Citation

  • Benoît Rapoport & Claire Thibout, 2016. "Why Do Boys and Girls Make Different Educational Choices? The Influence of Expected Earnings and Test Scores," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2016n01, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2016n01
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    File URL: http://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/downloads/working_paper_series/wp2016n01.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rapoport, Benoît & Thibout, Claire, 2018. "Why do boys and girls make different educational choices? The influence of expected earnings and test scores," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 205-229.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Study choices; salary wage differentials; test scores; gender stereotypes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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