TY - JOUR T1 - Competitive Schools and the Gender Gap in the Choice of Field of Study JF - Journal of Human Resources JO - J Hum Resour DO - 10.3368/jhr.55.2.0617.8864R SP - 0617-8864R AU - Fanny Landaud AU - Son-Thierry Ly AU - Éric Maurin Y1 - 2018/08/03 UR - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2018/08/01/jhr.55.2.0617.8864R.abstract N2 - In most developed countries, students have to choose a major field of study during high school. This is an important decision as it largely determines subsequent educational and occupational choices. Using French data, this paper reveals that enrollment at a more selective high school, with higher-achieving peers, has no impact on boys, but a strong impact on girls’ choices: they turn away from scientific fields and settle for less competitive ones. Our results are not consistent with two commonly-advanced explanations for gender differences in field of study, namely disparities in prior academic preparation and in sensitivity to rank in class. ER -