Do Female Professors Survive the 19th-Century Tenure System?: Evidence from the Economics Ph.D. Class of 2008

Abstract

This study examines early career outcomes (i.e., tenure and promotion) of the Economics Ph.D. class of 2008. We find that relative to males in the same cohort, female economists are less likely (by 9.6%) to have received tenure and promotion during the first eight years since graduation. The gender gap becomes more pronounced, or 12%, among individuals of foreign origins working in the U.S. In addition, we find a similar gender bias regarding whether an individual remains in academia since the initial job placement in 2008. In particular, female faculty, particularly international women working in the U.S., are more likely to quit than their male counterparts in their post-doctoral careers. Compared to the existing literature, our sample includes a wide range of 57 U.S. economics programs, rather than a handful of top programs. Furthermore, we examine a new and growing dimension of the labor market for economics Ph.D.'s, i.e., women and internationals.