What Deters Women from Economics

We survey undergraduate students at two US universities to investigate the perceptions of the economics major by gender. Women report a significantly lower interest in economics relative to men. In exploring potential mechanisms, we find that women anticipate being less likely to succeed in the economics major and less likely to enjoy their coursework and the subsequent career path. Concerns that deter women from studying economics include math being too difficult, economics being boring, getting good grades, and being a good fit for the major. Finally, we observe stark gender differences in the topics that students are interested in.