Origins of the Gender Gap: Pre-College and College Influences on Differences Between Men and Women

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Origins of the Gender Gap Pre-College and
College Influences on Differences
Between Men and Women

• Linda J. Sax
• Casandra E. Harper
• University of California Los Angeles

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The Gender Gap

• Gender differences continue to receive attention
• Course taking
• Career aspirations
• Self-confidence
• Physical and psychological health

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Nature vs. Nurture

• Longstanding debates regarding the origin of
  gender differences
• Innate differences?
• Gender-based socialization?

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The Role of College

• Do colleges play a role in reinforcing gender
  differences?
• Prior research on college students offers few
  clues
• Most studies are descriptive, cross-sectional
• Roots of gender difference are largely unexplored

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Research Question

• To what extent are gender differences observed at
  the end of college attributable to
• (a) Pre-college gender differences?
• (b) Differential college experiences of women
  and men?

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Sample

• Data drawn from
• 1994 Cooperative Institutional Research Program
  (CIRP) Freshman Survey
• 1998 College Student Survey (CSS)
• N 17,637 (10,901 Women 6,736 Men)
• 204 Institutions

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42 Dependent Variables

• Student Typologies
• Academics
• Political Engagement and Orientation
• Views
• Self-Ratings
• Physical and Psychological Well-Being
• Goals
• Degree Aspirations/Attainment and Career Choice
• Self-Changes
• Satisfaction

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Independent Variables

• Gender (1male, 2female)
• Pre-College Variables
• Pretest (if applicable)
• Family background
• High school experiences
• College Variables
• Institutional characteristics
• Peer measures
• Major field
• College experiences

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Analysis

• Gender force-entered at first step
• Indicates whether the difference in womens
  mens score on the DV is significant at plt.0001
• Standardized regression coefficient (Beta) for
  gender monitored as each new independent variable
  enters the equation
• If Beta change is significant at plt.01,
  indicates whether gender differences on the
  outcome can be explained by gender differences
  in the newly-entered variable.

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Results

• Significant gender differences observed for 32 of
  42 dependent variables
• Women score higher on
• College GPA, Feeling overwhelmed, Commitment to
  social activism, Liberal political attitudes,
  Interest in education and nursing, etc.
• Men score higher on
• Academic self-confidence, Self-rated
  competitiveness, Physical and emotional
  self-confidence, Leadership orientation, Interest
  in science and engineering, Belief in traditional
  gender roles, etc.

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What accounts for senior-year gender differences?

• 5 outcomes
• Gender differences became nonsignificant when
  pre-college variables were controlled
• 9 outcomes
• Gender differences became nonsignificant when
  pre-college AND college variables were controlled
• 18 outcomes
• Gender differences remain significant past all
  controls

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Example 1 Self-Rated Physical Health

• Womens lower ratings on physical health
  explained by
• Lower scores on the pretest
• Lower scores on self-rated emotional health
• Higher stress levels
• Less time spent exercising or playing sports

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Example 2 College GPA

• Womens higher grades explained (in part) by
• Better grades earned in high school
• Higher stress levels
• Higher perceived support from faculty

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Example 3 Leadership Orientation

• Mens higher scores on leadership orientation
  explained (in part) by
• Higher self-rated competitiveness
• Greater political engagement
• More frequently challenging professors in the
  classroom

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Summary

• Among senior-year gender differences
• Nearly half could be completely explained by
  other variables
• More than half could not be explained entirely by
  other variables
• Gender differences are typically explained by
  pre-college variables

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Conclusion

• What other variables (not included in the present
  study) account for gender differences in college?
• Though colleges appear to play a minor role in
  producing gender differences, what role should
  they play in addressing them?