Authority Figures and the Polarization of Gender Norms

This paper examines how authority figures in higher education shape gender norms over the long run. We exploit the random assignment of first-year students to faculty advisors at an elite university in the Middle East, combining administrative records with an alumni survey measuring gender attitudes up to 24 years later. Women assigned to female advisors adopt more egalitarian views about politics and work, while men become more conservative. Effects are strongest among religious students and in male-dominated STEM fields, where female authority is especially counter-stereotypical, and may persist through reinforcement: women assigned to female advisors later sort toward female instructors and more gender-themed courses. Our results are not driven by generic exposure to successful women—randomized exposure to high-achieving female peers has little effect, while the largest impacts come from senior and high-value-added female advisors. A simple framework combining belief updating and identity-based status threat explains these patterns. Our findings reveal a progress paradox whereby gains in female representation in elite authority expand opportunities for women while intensifying backlash among men, deepening gender polarization.