Do Men Outperform Women in Finance Classes?

Taylan Mavruk

Taylan Mavruk

University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Volume 14: 2019, pp. 75-98; ABSTRACT

This paper examines the role of both student specific and course specific factors in academic success. A particular aim is to examine whether men outperform women in finance classes. The findings suggest that men, on average, underperform women when it comes to academic success, but the reverse is true regarding finance classes. One reason behind this finding is that finance courses are male dominated, whereas there is no gender dominance in the other subjects. The results suggest that directors need to aim at increasing the attractiveness of finance courses to women. A higher participation rate of women in finance classes will lead women to perform better in this field, as well as increase their overall interest in the finance profession. Over time this may in turn reduce the wage differences between men and women and reduce the well-known “glass ceiling” effect, which suggests that only the most competent women gain promotions in the finance industry.

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