RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Understanding Gender Match Effects in Higher Education
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0224-13406R1
DO 10.3368/jhr.0224-13406R1
A1 Maurer, Stephan
A1 Schwerdt, Guido
A1 Wiederhold, Simon
YR 2026
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2026/04/01/jhr.0224-13406R1.abstract
AB It is widely believed that female students perform better when taught by female professors. However, little is known about the mechanisms explaining these gender match effects. Using administrative records from a German public university, which cover all programs and courses between 2006 and 2018, we show that gender match effects are sizable in smaller classes, but are absent in larger classes. These results suggest that direct and frequent interactions between students and professors are crucial for gender match effects to emerge. In contrast, the mere fact that one’s professor is female is not sufficient to increase performance of female students.