– There is a significant positive effect of the curriculum index on intentions to major in STEM fields for girls that plan to go to college but not for boys.
– Gender segregation of extracurricular activities has a substantial negative effect on intentions to major in STEM for girls but not for boys.
– High schools’ curricula in science and math and gender segregation of extracurricular activities have large effects on the gender gap in plans to study STEM fields. While these estimated effects are large, the authors find, not surprisingly, that these two factors explain only part of the total estimated variations in school effects.
– Going to a school that supports girls’ STEM orientations reduces the gender gap by 25 percent or more, and the school’s impact is durable. Despite this sizable reduction, a substantial gender gap remains, even for students who attend schools that are supportive of girls’ STEM orientations.
* High school context and it’s effects on female students