Gender quotas in colleges don't just 'steal' seats from men; they actually change the way women think about their own potential.
Most people assume quotas are just a mechanical way to force a 50/50 split. However, this study found that the mere existence of a quota caused a massive behavioral shift, leading women to apply for STEM programs they previously would have ignored entirely.
The Impact of Gender Quotas on Applications and Enrollment in STEM Higher Education Programs: The Case of the "Más Mujeres Científicas" (+MC) Policy in Chile
SSRN · 6327518
Gender gaps in STEM education limit women's access to high-return careers and constrain human capital accumulation in developing and middle-income countries. In response, policymakers have adopted gender-targeted admission policies, yet evidence on their effectiveness and behavioral mechanisms remains limited. This paper studies a gender quota policy implemented in Chile's centralized university admission system during the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. We ask whether gender quotas increase women's