We study the effects of a randomized role models intervention in which female engineering students gave presentations at high schools about their experiences in the major. Among girls, we find an increased preference for engineering majors for those in the top math ability quartile; with stronger effects for those who reside geographically close to the role models’ university. Inspired by role models, high math ability girls had increased self-confidence for succeeding in engineering majors. We also find smaller positive effects for “low math ability” boys, likely as a result of the talks emphasizing skills besides math for success in engineering. Keywords: STEM gender gap, role models, career choices.
Project leader: Marcos Agurto
Project researchers:
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