The Effects of High School Peers’ Gender on College Major, College Performance and Income

Bibliographic Data

ID9711876
AuthorsMassimo Anelli (0000-0003-2199-3825, Bocconi University, Dondena Centre, IZA, CESifo, corresponding author), Giovanni Peri (0000-0002-4979-8426, University of California)
Year2019
Volume129
Issue618
Pages553-602
Publication date2019-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Economic Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/ecoj.12556
OpenAlexW2517652367
LanguageEN
Citations received28
References cited24

Using a newly constructed longitudinal data set of 30,000 Italian individuals, we analyse whether the gender composition of peers in high school affected their choice of college major and labour market outcomes. To identify causation, we exploit random assignment of classmates within school-cohort. We generally do not find significant effects of peer gender on college choice and following outcomes. Only male students graduating from classes with a very large majority of male peers were more likely to choose 'prevalently male' college majors (Economics, Business and Engineering). This impact, however, was undone by major attrition and did not affect labour market outcomes

Affect (linguistics · Attrition · Causation · Demographic economics · Economics · Exploit · Longitudinal data · Peer effects · Political science · Random assignment · Set (abstract data type · Sociology · Demography · Higher Education Research Studies · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies · Medicine · Psychology · School Choice and Performance · Social Psychology

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