Data and Code for: Does Advisor Gender Affect Women's Persistence in Economics?

Women persist in the field of economics at significantly lower rates than men. We show that the gender of an academic advisor is an important determinant of female undergraduates' persistence in economics. We use data from a 4-year college where first-year economics majors are randomly assigned to advisors who are also faculty members in the economics department. Advisors help students choose courses and monitor their academic progress. We find that having a female rather than a male advisor reduces female students' first-year dropout rates and increases their likelihood of graduating with an economics degree.