• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

IZA Newsroom

IZA – Institute of Labor Economics

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Press Lounge
  • DE
  • EN
ResearchMarch 19, 2013

Women do better and seem less anxious in all-female classes

Nowadays more women attend university than men. Yet, women are still under-represented in the highest levels of technical subjects such as mathematics, physics or engineering, which eventually translates to an under-representation in high-tech sectors of the workforce. One potential mechanism to overcome this gender gap is single-sex education, that is classes which are strictly for women and classes that are only for men.

A new IZA Discussion Paper by Alison L. Booth, Lina Cardona Sosa and Patrick J. Nolen investigates the effects of single-sex classes in a randomized university experiment. The authors randomly assign students to all-female, all-male, and coed classes. The study shows that one hour a week of single-sex education benefits females: females are 7% more likely to pass their first year courses and score 10% higher in their required second year classes than their peers attending coeducational classes. Yet, the authors do not find an effect of single-sex education on the probability that a female will take technical classes and there is no effect of single-sex education for males, either.

The authors explain the positive effect on exam scores with a reduction in the so-called ‘stereotype threat’ for females. This threat work as follows: If women are exposed to the stereotype that they are worse at economics than males, they may be afraid to speak up in class in order to avoid embarrassment. Furthermore, they may face anxiety when taking tests because they have been conditioned to believe they are worse at economics. Thus, the findings of the study suggest that females enrolled in an all-female class are more willing to participate in classroom discussions and feel less pressure when taking exams.

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7207 Do Single-Sex Classes Affect Exam Scores? An Experiment in a Coeducational University Alison L. Booth, Lina Marcela Cardona Sosa, Patrick J. Nolen

Share this article

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share via e-mail
  • education
  • gender
  • schooling
  • single-sex classes
  • test scores
  • Alison L. Booth
  • Lina Marcela Cardona Sosa
  • Patrick J. Nolen
Previous Post
Shuffle
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

COVID-19 and the Labor Market

covid-19.iza.org

Recent Posts

  • March 6, 2023

    IZA promotes innovative economic research on climate change
  • March 3, 2023

    How immigration affects housing costs
  • February 16, 2023

    G²LM|LIC Call for Proposals

Related Content

  • September 12, 2017

    Who are the women in the top 1% and how do they make their money?
  • January 4, 2019

    Stalled progress of women in economics
  • August 5, 2016

    Women’s chances in STEM fields better than often thought
  • 
  • 
  • Archive
  • 
  • Research
  • 
  • Women do better and seem less anxious in all-female classes

© 2013–2023 Deutsche Post STIFTUNGImprint | Privacy PolicyIZA