The Benefit of Additional High-School Math and Science Classes for Young Men and Women

Abstract

This article examines the effects of taking more high-school math and science classes on wages, the likelihood of entering a technical job or a job traditional for one's sex, and the likelihood of choosing a technical college major or a major traditional for one's sex. Results from two data sets show that taking more high-school math increases wages and increases the likelihood of entering technical and nontraditional fields for female college graduates. No significant impact from taking more high school math is consistently observed for other workers, and high-school science courses have little effect on these outcomes.