A New Look at the Gendered Logic of College Choice: A Multidimensional Approach to Gender Segregation by Institutional Selectivity in Japanese College Admissions

Despite the reversal of the gender gap in higher education, gender segregation persists in fields of study and institutional selectivity. Recent research suggests that similar educational aspirations may not translate into similar college choices for men and women. Yet much of this research focuses on a single aspiration measured at a single point in time, overlooking the multidimensional, and potentially dynamic nature of educational preferences. Using unique nationwide mock-exam data from Japan, we show that, even among students with similarly selective first choices, women are less likely than men to list another highly selective program among their lower-ranked options. Contrary to our expectations, however, the gender gap in selectivity narrows at the application stage because men are more likely than women to apply to universities that are less selective than their stated first choice. Decomposition analyses further reveal that gender differences in application selectivity reflect not only first choices but also lower-ranked preferences. Preferences reported before the application process statistically account for approximately 70% of the gender gap in application selectivity, while incorporating stated college-major preferences further increases the share of this gap accounted for by preferences. Although substantial gender differences remain, these findings suggest that stated preferences play a larger role than prior studies may have recognized, particularly in terms of studies focusing on a single dimension of preference or only on first-choice preferences. Reducing gender inequality in higher education and beyond may therefore require the examination of both the formation of preferences and their translation into college applications, with the former warranting particular emphasis.