Abstract
Despite significant progress in educational attainment among women, the gender wage gap in the labor force remains a persistent issue. Research has shown that occupational segregation - the concentration of women in certain fields- is a key factor contributing to this gap. This thesis explores the connection between occupational segregation and the segregation of genders across majors through a case study of Brandeis University. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study considers administrative data on gender by major, survey responses, and interviews with undergraduate students to 1) provide a measure of segregation at Brandeis, 2) identify if and how students’ decisions regarding their field of study change during their time at the university and 3) examine the factors that influence students’ choices, while considering differences across genders. I find that 31.9% of female students in the sample would have to switch majors for the distribution of genders to be the same in each. Moreover, students’ fields of study do not change substantially during their time at Brandeis as most students in the sample declare the same major as their intended major and that only 30.21% pursue an additional major in a different field. Finally, students’ choices of major are strongly influenced by their ability to engage with the class content, peers, and professors, and for female students, the race and gender of these individuals have a significant impact. Overall, these findings suggest that gender segregation by major exists at Brandeis and that stronger interventions are necessary to address it.