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 and examines how it affects subsequent labor market outcomes for men and women. Using a nationally representative longitudinal dataset from India, we provide evidence of substantial intra-household gender disparities in the choice of study streams at the higher-secondary level of education. A household fixed-effects regression shows that girls are 20 percentage points less likely than boys to enroll in technical streams—namely science (STEM) and commerce—vis-à-vis arts or the 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 influences the gender gap in labor market outcomes in adulthood, including labor force participation, type of employment, and earnings. Our findings highlight how gender disparities in economic outcomes later in the life course are shaped by gendered educational trajectories established earlier in life, particularly at the school level.
Copyright Date
January 2018
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Keywords
post-secondary education, STEM, Gender, Labour market, India
Conference
GREThA International Conference on Economic Development, 25-27 June, 2018, University of Bordeaux, France
