Does Exposure to More Women in Male-Dominated Fields Render Female Students More Career-Oriented?

The underrepresentation of women in male-dominated fields of study can generate a lack of role models for female students, influencing their career choices. We investigate whether having higher shares of female professors and classmates throughout undergraduate studies in Economics affects female students' labor market outcomes up to five years after graduation. To deal with self-selection into professors and peers, we exploit the assignment rule of students to course sections at the prestigious University of Sao Paulo and focus on mandatory courses. We find that female peers and professors impact female students' labor outcomes through role models, affecting different aspects of their careers.