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Are girls always good for boys? Short and long term effects of school peers’ gender

Author

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  • Simon Briole

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

Abstract

This paper exploits idiosyncratic variations in school cohorts' gender composition to investigate the short and long-term effects of school peers' gender. Using French administrative data over the 2008–2012 period, it shows that the proportion of female peers' in middle school not only affects students' contemporaneous performance but also influences their subsequent educational attainment. More specifically, a larger share of girls among school peers increases girls' test scores, reduces their dropout rates and increases their probability to graduate from high school several years later, especially in the scientific track. By contrast, it increases boys' probability to attend a vocational school and decreases their high school graduation rate. I find suggestive evidence that these effects partially operate through a negative effect of opposite-gender peers on students' school behaviour and through an adjustment of teacher behaviour based on the gender composition of the classroom.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Briole, 2021. "Are girls always good for boys? Short and long term effects of school peers’ gender," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) hal-04466066, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:pseptp:hal-04466066
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2021.102150
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    Cited by:

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    2. Polipciuc, Maria & Cörvers, Frank & Montizaan, Raymond, 2023. "Peers’ race in adolescence and voting behavior," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Sultan Mehmood & Shaheen Naseer & Daniel L. Chen, 2025. "Transmitting Rights: Effective Cooperation, Inter-gender Contact, and Student Achievement," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 107-130, August.
    4. Wang, Muwen, 2023. "Opposite-gender friendships and learning performance of students: Evidence from China," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    5. Jules Gazeaud & Claire Ricard, 2024. "Unintended consequences of conditional cash transfers on educational outcomes," Post-Print hal-04774350, HAL.
    6. Gazeaud, Jules & Ricard, Claire, 2024. "Learning effects of conditional cash transfers: The role of class size and composition," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    7. Daniel Goller & Andrea Diem & Stefan C. Wolter, 2022. "Sitting next to a dropout: Study success of students with peers that came to the lecture hall by a different route," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0190, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    8. Guo, Yuhe & Li, Shaoping & Chen, Siwei & Tang, Yalin & Liu, Chengfang, 2022. "Health benefits of having more female classmates: Quasi-experimental evidence from China," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    9. Dewan, Prerna & Ray, Tridip & Roy Chaudhuri, Arka & Tater, Kirti, 2024. "Gender peer effects in high schools: Evidence from India," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 470-494.
    10. Nielsen, Søren Albeck, 2023. "Boys left behind: The effects of summer camp and follow-up strategies on academic, personal, and social competencies," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    11. Jules Gazeaud & Claire Ricard, 2024. "Moroccan schools are fuller thanks to cash grants. The problem now is the quality of their education – study," Post-Print hal-04831963, HAL.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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