Fixing the Leaky Pipeline: Affirmative Action in Local Elite Colleges and Subject Choice

ABSTRACT Women are largely underrepresented in STEM careers associated with higher labor market returns. This gender gap is even more stark in a context where societal biases are prevalent and female role models are lacking. This paper investigates the impact of an affirmative action (AA) policy implemented in an elite educational institution in India that ensures additional seats specifically for women in undergraduate STEM courses. After the policy was implemented, the proportion of women enrolling increased by 100%, proportion of women taking the college entrance exam increased by 10% and those qualifying the exam increased by 15%. Using nationally representative data, I employ a triple difference strategy and find a 27% increase in the probability of studying science courses after Grade 10 amongst younger girls exposed to this policy, suggesting increase in the future expected earnings of women.