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The Sources of the Gender Gap in Economics Enrolment

Author

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  • Mirco Tonin
  • Jackline Wahba

Abstract

In many countries there is a considerable gender gap in enrolment for a bachelor’s degree in Economics, arguably an important stepping stone towards positions of influence in policymaking and occupations paying relatively high wages. We investigate the sources of this gap by looking in detail at the university admission process in the UK. We use a 50% random sample of administrative data covering all university applications in 2008 and find no evidence of universities discriminating against female applicants. What we find is that girls are less likely to apply for a bachelor’s degree in Economics to start with, even if once they apply their likelihood of enrolling is the same as for boys. Girls are less likely to study Maths in high school and this may deter them from applying to study Economics at the university level. However, even among those who have studied Maths, females are less likely to apply than males, suggesting that differences in the choice of A level subjects cannot explain the whole gap. (JEL codes: I21, I23, I28, J24.)

Suggested Citation

  • Mirco Tonin & Jackline Wahba, 2015. "The Sources of the Gender Gap in Economics Enrolment," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 61(1), pages 72-94.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:cesifo:v:61:y:2015:i:1:p:72-94.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/cesifo/ifu033
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    Cited by:

    1. Megalokonomou, Rigissa & Vidal-Fernandez, Marian & Yengin, Duygu, 2021. "Underrepresentation of Women in Undergraduate Economics Degrees in Europe: A Comparison with STEM and Business," IZA Policy Papers 175, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Perret, Jens K., 2022. "On the gender performance gap in economics education - A comparison of German public and private universities," ISM Working Papers 19, International School of Management (ISM), Dortmund.
    3. Graziella Bertocchi & Luca Bonacini & Marina Murat, 2021. "Adams and Eves: The Gender Gap in Economics Majors," EIEF Working Papers Series 2115, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF), revised Dec 2021.
    4. Della Giusta, Marina & Vukadinovic-Greetham, Danica & Jaworska, Sylvia, 2018. "Tweeting Economists: Antisocial in the socials?," MPRA Paper 89527, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Graziella Bertocchi & Luca Bonacini & Marina Murat, 2023. "Adams and Eves: High school math and the gender gap in Economics majors," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(4), pages 798-817, October.
    6. Bhattacharya, D. & Shvets, J., 2022. "Inferring the Performance Diversity Trade-Off in University Admissions: Evidence from Cambridge," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2238, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    7. Graziella Bertocchi & Luca Bonacini & Marina Murat, 2021. "Adams and Eves: The Gender Gap in Economics Majors," Department of Economics 0196, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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