Research shows that college students choose majors for a variety of reasons. Some students are motivated by potential economic returns, others want to take engaging classes, and others still would like opportunities to help people in their jobs. But how do these preferences map onto students’ actual major choices? This question is particularly intriguing in light of gender differences in fields of study, as men and women may take divergent pathways in pursuit of the same outcome. Using data from the Pathways through College Study (N = 2,639), I show that men and women choose very different majors even when they cite the same major preferences—what I call gendered logics of major choice. In addition, I use earnings data from the American Community Survey to assess how these gendered logics of major choice may be associated with broader patterns of earnings inequality. I find that among men and women who have the same major preferences, men’s major choices are tied to significantly higher prospective earnings than women’s major choices. This finding demonstrates that the ways men and women translate their preferences into majors are unequal from an earnings perspective. Implications for research on higher education and gender are discussed.

中文翻译：

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从主要偏好到主要选择：性别和主要选择逻辑

研究表明，大学生出于各种原因选择专业。一些学生受到潜在的经济回报的激励，另一些人希望参加有吸引力的课程，而另一些人仍然希望有机会帮助人们工作。但是这些偏好如何映射到学生的实际专业选择中？鉴于研究领域的性别差异，这个问题尤其令人着迷，因为男人和女人在追求相同结果时可能采取不同的途径。使用来自大学学习途径的数据（N = 2,639），我发现男人和女人即使选择了相同的专业偏好也选择了截然不同的专业，我称之为专业选择的性别逻辑。此外，我使用来自美国社区调查的收入数据来评估这些主要选择的性别逻辑如何与更广泛的收入不平等模式相关联。我发现，在具有相同主要偏好的男性和女性中，男性的主要选择与预期收入明显高于女性的主要选择。这一发现表明，从收入的角度来看，男女将自己的偏好转化为专业的方式是不平等的。讨论了对高等教育和性别研究的意义。这一发现表明，从收入的角度来看，男女将自己的偏好转化为专业的方式是不平等的。讨论了对高等教育和性别研究的意义。这一发现表明，从收入的角度来看，男女将自己的偏好转化为专业的方式是不平等的。讨论了对高等教育和性别研究的意义。