Informed Choices: Gender Gaps in Career Advice

Yana Gallen and Melanie Wasserman

No 35750, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper provides the first causal evidence that gender affects the information an individual receives about careers. We conduct a large-scale field experiment in which real college students seek career information from 10,000 working professionals. We randomize whether a professional receives a message from a male or a female student. When students ask broadly for information about a career, female students receive substantially more information on work/life balance than male students. This gender difference persists when students specifically ask about work/life balance. A survey of professionals suggests non-altruistic motives for discussing work/life balance with women. Combining findings from the field experiment and results from an information intervention, we conclude that gender gaps in information received about work/life balance are consequential for gender gaps in career intentions.

JEL-codes: C93 J16 J24 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-09
Note: LS
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Published as Yana Gallen & Melanie Wasserman, 2021. "Informed Choices: Gender Gaps in Career Advice," Employment Research, vol 28(3), pages 5-7.

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