Research

Working papers

Gender Diversity Improves Performance but Reinforces Gendered Roles

Does group gender diversity benefit individuals? I examine this question with a large field experiment randomizing 3,060 students to small study groups at university entry. Assignment to mixed-gender rather than single-gender groups improves performance and well-being: first-year grades increase by about 0.10 SD, well-being by 0.15 SD, and program dropout falls by 6 percentage points (24%). These effects are similar for men and women. However, mixed-gender groups also lead students to hold more traditional gender role attitudes. Mechanism analyses suggest that gender diversity induces sorting into gendered social roles: while men are more likely to compete and explain material to others, women are more likely to coordinate group activities and ask questions. This role sorting fosters active and inclusive collaboration within groups, while also reinforcing traditional gender norms. The findings highlight that gender diversity shapes group dynamics, performance, and the social construction of gender roles.

Disconnecting Women: Gender Disparities in the Impact of Online Instruction

with Ulf Zölitz and Uschi Backes-Gellner

The Gender Concealment Gap

with Christine Exley, Raymond Fisman, Judd Kessler, Louis-Pierre Lepage, Corinne Low, Xiaomeng Li, Mattie Toma, and Basit Zafar