Sl. Averett et Ml. Burton, COLLEGE ATTENDANCE AND THE COLLEGE WAGE PREMIUM - DIFFERENCES BY GENDER, Economics of education review, 15(1), 1996, pp. 37-49
This paper examines gender differences in the decision of whether or n
ot to attend college. We use a human capital model of the decision to
attend college, positing that this decision is a function of family ba
ckground characteristics and the expected future earnings differential
between college and high school graduates (the college wage premium).
Using data from the NLSY, we demonstrate that for men, the higher the
college wage premium, the more likely they are to attend college. How
ever, for women, higher college wage premia have an insignificant effe
ct on the decision to attend college and this effect is robust to a va
riety of specifications. In addition, we find some support for the com
parative advantage hypothesis suggesting that individuals self-select
themselves into that level of education which best utilizes their tale
nts.