Origins of the gender gap: Pre-college and college influences on differences between men and women

This study examines differences between women and men on 19 outcomes of college and assesses the extent to which those differences are attributable to gender gaps that existed prior to college or to men's and women's differential college experiences. The data are drawn from a national longitudinal sample of students (N = 17,637) attending 204 four-year colleges and universities who were surveyed upon entry to college in 1994 and four years later in 1998. Among the 19 outcomes, 5 revealed gender differences that could be accounted for by pre-college variables alone, 2 demonstrated gender differences that were attributable to a combination of pre-college and college variables, and 12 produced gender gaps that were significant despite all control variables.