Gender segregation in education and its implications for labour market outcomes: Evidence from India

Description

This paper investigates gender-based segregation across different fields of study at the post-secondary level of schooling and how this affects subsequent labour market outcomes for men and women. Using a nationally representative longitudinal dataset from India, we provide evidence of substantial intra-household gender disparity in the choice of study stream at the higher secondary level of education. A household fixed-effects regression shows that girls are 20 percentage points less likely than boys to study in technical streams—namely science (STEM) and commerce—vis-à-vis arts or humanities. This gender disparity is not driven by gender-specific differences in mathematical ability, as the gap remains large and statistically significant even after controlling for individuals’ past test scores. Further analysis of working-age individuals suggests that the choice of a technical stream at the higher secondary level significantly affects the gender gap in labour market outcomes in adult life, including labour force participation, type of employment and earnings. These findings reveal how gender disparities in economic outcomes later in life are shaped by gendered educational trajectories established earlier, particularly at the school level.

Publication Date

1-1-2018

Publisher

IZA Institute of Labour Economics

Keywords

post-secondary education, STEM, Gender, Labour market, India

Source Link URL

http://ftp.iza.org/dp11660.pdf

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