Gender & Empirical Analysis

How can we empirically study gender gaps and their underlying causes? In both developed and developing countries, many gender gaps have narrowed in the past century: women are marrying later, having fewer children and spending a far greater fraction of their adult lives in the labor force. In some areas, such as education, women have surpassed men.

In this course, students will learn to use statistical and econometric methods to study gender. In doing so, students will gain experience with finding and using raw data sets, analyzing data with Stata, and presenting empirical results. While this course will not survey all topics in the area of gender economics, students will engage with pressing questions of interest in the field, including:

  • How can we produce and use empirical data to study gender with an intersectional lens? This includes research measuring occupational gaps by both race and gender, between LGBTQ+ and straight people, and between transgender and cisgender people.
  • Why are men falling behind in education and labor market outcomes?
  • Why does the gender wage gap persist despite women’s higher education level?
  • What is the cause of falling birth rates?
  • What policies are effective in decreasing rates of gender-based violence?