Abstract
We estimate an equilibrium model of grading policies where professors set grading policies
and students register and study for classes, in part, based on these policies. Professors value enrollment, learning, and student study time, and set policies taking into account how other professors grade. Male and female students value course types, the benefi ts associated with higher grades, and effort costs differently. We calculate how much of the differences in grading policies across fields is driven by differences in demand for courses in those fields and how much is due to differences in professor preferences across fields. We also decompose differences in female/male course taking across fi elds driven by differences in i) cognitive skills, ii) valuation of grades, iii) cost of studying, and iv) fi eld preferences. We then run counterfactual simulations to evalaute changes to grading policies. Restrictions on grading policies that equalize grade distributions across classes result in higher (lower) grades in science (non-science) fields but more (less) work being required. As women are willing to study more than men, this restriction on grading policies results in more women pursuing the sciences and more men pursuing the non-sciences.
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Host: Manudeep Bhuller