AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Grade Sensitivity and the Economics Major at a Women's College
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 111,
May 2021
(pp. 102–06)
Abstract
We use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the causal effect of letter grades in introductory courses on the probability of choosing an economics major at Wellesley College, a highly selective women's college. We find that women just above letter-grade cutoffs are 18 percentage points more likely to major in economics than women just below, a 50 percent increase. The effects are larger among financial aid recipients. Grade sensitivity among women is not explained by the presence of male students or instructors; it is more plausibly explained by lower precollege preferences for the major and gender-specific responses to noisy signals like grades.Citation
McEwan, Patrick J., Sheridan Rogers, and Akila Weerapana. 2021. "Grade Sensitivity and the Economics Major at a Women's College." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 111: 102–06. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211045Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- A22 Economic Education and Teaching of Economics: Undergraduate
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination