Are girls discriminated against in science? Lessons from the ENS entrance exam

Stereotypes and social norms encourage girls to choose literary subjects rather than scientific ones. The aim of this IPP Policy Brief is to examine the extent to which teachers are likely to reinforce this self-selection by discriminating against young women who attempt to enter male-dominated disciplines. Using the entrance examination for the École normale supérieure in Paris as a ‘natural experiment’, we show that it is in fact the opposite phenomenon that is at work. Discrimination favours girls in disciplines traditionally dominated by men (such as mathematics or philosophy), whilst it favours boys in subjects considered more ‘feminine’ ’ (such as biology or literature), thereby slightly reducing gender segregation across disciplines. The examiners’ tendency to discriminate against candidates on the basis of their gender is identified from the differences between results in anonymous written papers (which neutralise gender discrimination) and in oral examinations (where the candidates’ gender is known to the examiners). This discrimination runs counter to gender stereotypes. It may be explained by the fact that examiners attempt – consciously or unconsciously – to favour the under-represented gender in their discipline. These findings suggest that girls can pursue fields of study traditionally dominated by men without fear of being discriminated against.