PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Goulas, Sofoklis
AU  - Griselda, Silvia
AU  - Megalokonomou, Rigissa
TI  - Comparative Advantage and Gender Gap in STEM
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.0320-10781R2
DP  - 2022 Jun 10
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 0320-10781R2
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2022/06/01/jhr.0320-10781R2.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2022/06/01/jhr.0320-10781R2.full
AB  - Why are females, compared with males, both more likely to have strong STEM-related performance and less likely to enter a STEM field later on? We exploit random classroom assignment to identify the impact of comparative STEM advantage on specialization decisions. Comparative STEM advantage is proxied by the within-classroom ranking of the ratio of STEM over non-STEM performance. We find that females with a higher comparative STEM advantage are more likely to choose a STEM school track and apply for a STEM degree. Comparative STEM advantage explains 12% of the underrepresentation of qualified females in the earliest instance of STEM specialization.