Observing Gendered Patterns of Major Selection under Elective Curriculums

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Tobias Dalberg, Uppsala University

Version:  View help for Version V1

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Project Citation: 

Dalberg, Tobias. Observing Gendered Patterns of Major Selection under Elective Curriculums . Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-03-06. https://doi.org/10.3886/E198821V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary Article abstract: Social scientists have long recognized field of study as an important mechanism of gender differentiation and stratification in U.S. higher education, but they have rarely attended to how elective curriculums mediate gender differentiation in major selection. Under elective curriculums, major selection is an iterative process, in which students select courses in stepwise fashion at the beginning of each academic term, and are able to change majors early in their undergraduate careers. We observe how an elective curriculum mediates gendered patterns of major selection, using a novel data set describing 11,730 students at a large public research university. We find (a) gender and intended major are strongly correlated upon college entry; (b) large proportions of students change majors between entry and declaration; (c) because most changes are to academically adjacent fields, gendered patterns in field of study persist through the undergraduate career. Findings suggest the value of an iterative conception of major selection and offer tractable means for intervening in the process through which students select majors.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms Elective curriculum; Major selection; Gendered majors
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 2009 – 2014
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) administrative records data

Methodology

Data Source:  View help for Data Source US Higher Education Institution
Unit(s) of Observation:  View help for Unit(s) of Observation student, major

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V1 [2024-03-06]

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