Incontro Can curricular reform close the STEM gender gap?

Abstract

Does teaching STEM's real-world relevance in introductory courses increase women's persistence? Leveraging a curricular reform in an introductory computer science course at a liberal arts college that placed greater emphasis on real-world applications, we find that the reform increased women's likelihood of majoring in computer science relative to men without diminishing academic performance. This effect primarily reflects greater retention of women who entered intending to major in computer science. The reform raised women's earnings through improved occupational sorting while reducing graduate school attendance. These findings suggest introductory course content can shape who persists in STEM and early-career outcomes.