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

1. 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

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

3. Nature vs. Nurture • Longstanding debates regarding the origin of gender differences • Innate differences? • Gender-based socialization?

4. 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

5. 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?

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. Analysis • Gender force-entered at first step • Indicates whether the difference in women’s & men’s score on the DV is significant at p<.0001 • Standardized regression coefficient (“Beta”) for gender monitored as each new independent variable enters the equation • If Beta “change” is significant at p<.01, indicates whether gender differences on the outcome can be “explained” by gender differences in the newly-entered variable.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. Example #1: Self-Rated Physical Health • Women’s 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

13. Example #2: College GPA • Women’s higher grades explained (in part) by: • Better grades earned in high school • Higher stress levels • Higher perceived support from faculty

14. Example #3: Leadership Orientation • Men’s higher scores on leadership orientation explained (in part) by: • Higher self-rated competitiveness • Greater political engagement • More frequently challenging professors in the classroom

15. 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

16. 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?