蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Undergraduate Gender Diversity and the Direction of Scientific Research
蝌蚪网 Review
vol. 115,
no. 7, July 2025
(pp. 2414–48)
Abstract
Can diversity lead to greater research focus on populations under-represented in science? Between 1960 and 1990, 76 all-male US universities transitioned to coeducation. Using a generalized difference-in-differences design, we find that coeducation led to a 44 percent increase in gender-related research publications. This increase is driven by research focused on female subjects and gender differences. While coeducation led to a compositional shift with more women and researchers interested in gender topics, much of the increase comes from male incumbent researchers shifting their research focus toward gender-related topics. The results support interaction with more diverse students and peers as key underlying mechanisms.Citation
Truffa, Francesca, and Ashley Wong. 2025. "Undergraduate Gender Diversity and the Direction of Scientific Research." 蝌蚪网 Review 115 (7): 2414–48. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20221561Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I23 Higher Education; Research Institutions
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O31 Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
- O34 Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital