Does attending predominately-female schools make a difference? Labor market outcomes for women

Abstract

This study explores the effects of attending predominately-female high schools on labor market outcomes. The existing literature about these schools is quite limited, and most research focuses on role-model effects at coeducational schools. Since returns to predominately-female high school attendance are likely to be upward biased due to selection, data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth are used to explore the determinants of such attendance. Girls who are raised Catholic, who are nonwhite, or who live in urban areas are more likely to enroll in predominately-female schools. Though women who attended these schools are no more or less likely to enter the workforce, they do earn a 19.7% higher wage than women who attended coeducational high schools. Controlling for personal characteristics as well as selection into predominately-female schools and into the workforce, the estimated wage differential falls to 12.6%.