Prior research suggests that women enter their first college-level economics class with lower expectations of success while also thinking they must work harder than men to earn similar grades. This paper examines effort (completion of optional work) and success (grades) in principles of economics, with special focus on differences between women and men. Two sets of tests are performed. One set, probit models controlling for student attributes, examines submission rates for optional online quizzes and an optional final exam; a second set uses a regression discontinuity approach to measure incentive effects of grades, examining performance on exams. Women submit more quizzes and have exam scores and course grades that are similar to men, in contrast to numerous prior studies showing a gender difference. Quizzes are identified as one potential reason for men-women exam score equivalence. Additionally, women with a B+ (just shy of an A-) before the final exam are more likely to choose to submit the optional final compared to similar men.

先前的研究表明，女性进入第一门大学课程的经济学课程对成功的期望较低，同时还认为她们必须比男性更努力地工作才能获得类似的成绩。本文研究了经济学原理中的努力（可选工作的完成）和成功（成绩），特别关注了男女之间的差异。进行两组测试。一组控制学生属性的概率模型，检查可选的在线测验和可选的期末考试的提交率；第二组使用回归不连续性方法来衡量成绩的激励效果，检查考试成绩。与许多先前的研究显示性别差异相比，女性提交的测验更多，考试成绩和课程成绩与男性相似。测验被确定为男女考试成绩相等的潜在原因之一。此外，与类似的男性相比，在期末考试前成绩为B +（略低于A-）的女性更有可能选择提交期末考试。