AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Promoting Female Interest in Economics: Limits to Nudges
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 111,
May 2021
(pp. 123–27)
Abstract
We assess whether light-touch interventions can increase the proportion of women who study economics. Over 2,000 students were randomly assigned to receive a message with basic information about the economics major, the basic message combined with an emphasis on the rewarding careers or financial returns associated with the major, or no message. The basic message increased the proportion of male students majoring in economics by 2 percentage points, equivalent to the control mean. We find no significant effects for female students. Extrapolating to the full sample, the basic message would nearly double the male/female ratio among economics majors.Citation
Pugatch, Todd, and Elizabeth Schroeder. 2021. "Promoting Female Interest in Economics: Limits to Nudges." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 111: 123–27. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211024Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- A22 Economic Education and Teaching of Economics: Undergraduate
- A14 Sociology of Economics
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making