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; revise & resubmit at Journal of Human Resources
with Christine Exley, Raymond Fisman, Judd Kessler, Louis-Pierre Lepage, Corinne Low, Xiaomeng Li, Mattie Toma, and Basit Zafar; revise & resubmit at JPE-Micro
Publications
Nava Ashraf, Natalie Bau, Corinne Low, and Xiaoyue Shan. American Economic Review: Insights (forthcoming)
Peers Affect Personality Development
Xiaoyue Shan and Ulf Zölitz. Review of Economics and Statistics (forthcoming)
Lowering the Playing Field: Discrimination through Sequential Spillover Effects
Judd Kessler, Corinne Low, and Xiaoyue Shan. Review of Economics and Statistics (2026)
Access to Pensions, Old-Age Support, and Child Investment in China
Xiaoyue Shan and Albert Park. Journal of Human Resources (2025)
Work in progress
Father Involvement and Family Well-Being
with Anne Brenøe, Pietro Biroli, and Victoria Baranov [preregistration]
The Hidden Cost of Asking: Gender and Negotiation in the Labor Market
Retired working paper
The Minority Trap: Minority Status Drives Women Out of Male-Dominated Fields