This Thursday, December 5 at 1:00 p.m., the Center for Economics and Social Policies will hold a seminar entitled “The Gender Gap in College Major Choice: the case of Chile”, which will be presented by the academic of the Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Paola Bordón, in the CEAS seminar room, located in José Toribio Medina 29.

About the presentation

The research is focused on studying gender differences in the choice of careers in Chile; through the use of counterfactual exercises it was discovered that there would be a reduction in gender differences in career choice if men opted for decisions historically associated with women, rather than vice versa.

It was also found that men apply for highly selective programs even when they are not such competitive candidates, something that women tend to avoid. This is due to the “crowding out” effect, in which male preferences imply a boost to gender differences in STEM areas, leaving out qualified women to pursue such programs.