Are Sociocultural Factors Important for Studying a Science University Major?

53 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2015

See all articles by Volker Grossmann

Volker Grossmann

University of Fribourg - Faculty of Economics and Social Science; Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Aderonke Osikominu

University of Hohenheim

Marius Dominik Osterfeld

University of Fribourg - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the sociocultural background of students for choosing STEM fields in university. We combine rich survey data on university graduates in Switzerland with municipality level information from the census as well as nationwide elections and referenda to characterize a student's home environment with respect to religious and political attitudes towards gender equality and science-related issues. Our empirical estimates are based on a structural Roy model which accounts for differences in costs (relative distance to the next technical university) and earnings across majors as well as for selection bias. Our findings suggest that male students from conservative municipalities are more likely to study a STEM field, whereas the sociocultural background plays little role for the major choice of females.

Keywords: choice of field of study, gender differences, selection bias, sociocultural environment, STEM fields

JEL Classification: I20, C81

Suggested Citation

Grossmann, Volker and Osikominu, Aderonke and Osterfeld, Marius Dominik, Are Sociocultural Factors Important for Studying a Science University Major?. IZA Discussion Paper No. 9415, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2675472 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2675472

Volker Grossmann (Contact Author)

University of Fribourg - Faculty of Economics and Social Science ( email )

Fribourg, CH 1700
Switzerland

Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Aderonke Osikominu

University of Hohenheim ( email )

Stuttgart
Germany

Marius Dominik Osterfeld

University of Fribourg - Department of Economics ( email )

Fribourg
Switzerland

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
31
Abstract Views
688
PlumX Metrics