AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Gender Differences in Fields of Specialization and Placement Outcomes among PhDs in Economics
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 111,
May 2021
(pp. 74–79)
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of gender differences in field of specialization on gender disparities in job placement among recent economics PhD candidates. Women are underrepresented as assistant professors, especially at top-50 institutions, and overrepresented in nonresearch positions. Our decomposition results show that our variables account for 28 percent to 67 percent of the gender gap in placement outcomes. Fields of specialization account for the larger share (75 percent to 132 percent) of the explained differences for positions outside of top-50 institutions. For top-50 institutions, the ranking of the PhD institutions accounts for two-thirds of the explained placement differences.Citation
Fortin, Nicole, Thomas Lemieux, and Marit Rehavi. 2021. "Gender Differences in Fields of Specialization and Placement Outcomes among PhDs in Economics." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 111: 74–79. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211028Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- A14 Sociology of Economics
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J71 Labor Discrimination
- D63 Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement