The Impact of Advisor Gender on Female Students’ STEM Enrollment and Persistence

Serena Canaan and Pierre Mouganie

Journal of Human Resources, 2023, vol. 58, issue 2, 593-632

Abstract: To reduce the gender gap in science fields, policymakers often propose providing women with mentoring by female scientists. However, there is no clear evidence on whether one-on-one mentor gender influences women’s STEM participation. We exploit a unique setting where students are randomly assigned to academic advisors—who are also faculty members—in their freshman year of college. Advisors help students select courses and decide on a major. We find that having a female rather than a male science advisor substantially increases the likelihood that women enroll and graduate with STEM degrees. A nonscience advisor’s gender has no impact on students’ major choice.

JEL-codes: I23 I24 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.58.4.0320-10796R2
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:58:y:2023:i:2:p:593-632

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