Reexamining the Relationship Between Gender and Field of Study Decisions: A Longitudinal, Interview-Based Approach

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Education and Jobs: New Perspectives on Educational Attainment

Abstract

This study uses new, longitudinal interview data to analyze the impacts of gender on major field of study decisions among freshmen attending less selective four-year colleges. While previous work has unpacked the persistent gender segregation of college majors, we instead focus on how students’ pre-college identities and early college experiences shape their major decisions over time. We also concentrate on intersections between gender and social class. We find that women and men draw on similar mechanisms in their decisions – notably, financial security and a desire to express their self-identity. One key difference between men and women is in the utilization of critical constructive feedback from advisors. Social class also remains salient in major decisions, sometimes more so than gender.

Authors

• Christina Ciocca Eller, Columbia University

• Katharine Khanna, Columbia University

• Greer Mellon, Columbia University