Reducing the gender gap in early learning: Evidence from a field experiment in Norwegian preschools

Andreas Fidjeland, Mari Rege, Ingeborg F. Solli and Ingunn Størksen

European Economic Review, 2023, vol. 154, issue C

Abstract: Substantial gender differences in key academic skills appear even before children start formal schooling. Although increasing investments in early-childhood programs is motivated by efforts to promote equality of opportunity in education, program attendance seems to have less effect on boys. In this field experiment, we investigate whether a more structured curriculum can help preschools reduce the gender gap in early learning. While girls have higher skills at baseline, we find that the intervention primarily benefits boys, thereby reducing the gender skill gap, with effects persisting into formal schooling.

Keywords: Gender gap; Field experiment; School readiness; Child development; Early childhood education; Preschool (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H42 I20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292123000429
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:154:y:2023:i:c:s0014292123000429

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104413

Access Statistics for this article

European Economic Review is currently edited by T.S. Eicher, A. Imrohoroglu, E. Leeper, J. Oechssler and M. Pesendorfer

More articles in European Economic Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().