Decreasing Women's Status Versus Narrowing Gender Education Gap: College Enrollment Expansion and High-school Track Choice in China
Abstract: Gender inequality in China has been increasing in recent years. However, the educational attainment of Chinese females has been growing. This paper elucidates the contradictory fact by exploiting the effect of college enrollment expansion on high-school track choice in China for different genders. Specifically, we first develop a theoretical model of educational decision-making from the perspective of educational expectation returns and income sharing. Then, utilizing data from the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP), the study examines the impact of increased college entrance examination admission rates on high-school track choice across genders. The empirical results show that the increase in the college entrance examination admission rates attracts more females to choose academic high-school track, leading to a higher proportion of women pursuing higher education. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the female prefers for academic high schools during the rapid expansion of the size of academic high schools. Girls from single-child households, families residing in urban areas, and those with higher parental educational attainment exhibit a greater likelihood of attending academic high schools. Our study offers a novel perspective in explaining the reasons behind the changing gender gap in education in China.