Co-authored with Sebastián Poblete (Northwestern University) and Tomás Rau (Department of Economics, Universidad Católica), the study examines how teachers can influence the gender gap between boys and girls, a disparity that becomes apparent early in the educational process.
The research reveals that this performance gap has lasting effects on students’ career choices and future earnings. The study indicates that early academic disparities can significantly impact career trajectories and income levels later in life.
The paper highlights the long-term consequences of performance gaps between boys and girls on their academic and professional paths. Professor García Echalar comments, “This career choice also affects the labor market, being one of the reasons why women earn less than men.” The study underscores the crucial role of teachers in mitigating these gaps, showing that their involvement is key to reducing, though not fully eliminating, these disparities.
The study’s findings emphasize the need for more inclusive educational policies. “These results are essential for designing policies that increase the presence of female math teachers and assign them to schools with significant performance gaps,” García Echalar explains. He also points out the importance of improving teacher quality in municipal schools to align with that of subsidized private schools. “This would lead to better teaching quality and more informed educators on how to address the performance gap,” he adds.
