Comparative Advantage in STEM During the First Year as a Mechanism Behind the Gender Gap in Community College

• In Event: 47.040 - Cultivating and Supporting Diverse STEM Talent

Abstract

Despite the important role community colleges are poised to play in ushering more underrepresented students into STEM fields, few studies have studied how students fare in the STEM path at community colleges. Furthermore, there is limited evidence on whether females disproportionately divert from the STEM path than males in community college. Using linked high school to community college transcript data, this study examines whether there exists a gender gap in the Life Sciences and/or in Physical Sciences/Engineering path in community college and whether the gap exists among male and female students with comparable prior preparation in math and science. Finally, this study examines a potential mechanism that may matter in STEM retention, a measure of comparative advantage in STEM subjects.

Author

• Elizabeth Park, University of Southern California