Gender Diversity Improves Performance but Reinforces Gendered Roles

Xiaoyue Shan

No 12565, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: Does group gender diversity benefit individuals? I examine this question with a field experiment randomizing 3,060 students to small study groups at university entry. Assignment to mixed-gender rather than single-gender groups improves performance and well-being for both men and women: first-year grades increase by about 0.10 SD, well-being by 0.15 SD, and program dropout falls by 6 pp (24%). However, mixed-gender groups also induce more traditional attitudes toward family gender roles. Mechanism analyses suggest that gender diversity fosters collaboration and shifts gender attitudes by reinforcing gendered roles in social interaction: while women coordinate and ask questions, men compete and explain.

Keywords: gender diversity; performance; well-being; gender roles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D91 I21 I31 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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