Table 3. Percentage of the Gender Gap in Sophomore STEM Majors that is Explained by Demographic Variables, Academic Performance, and Life Goals.

	Descriptive Data					% Explained
	% Male STEM	% Female STEM	Difference	Demographics	Plus Test Scores	Plus Life Goals	Plus Grades and Coursework	Plus Math Self Concept
Sophomores in 4-year schools
NLS72	20.3%	9.81%	0.105	4.22%	20.92%	25.56%	34.87%
HSB	32.98%	14.48%	0.185	−0.23%	23.06%	24.35%	19.12%
NELS	27.87%	12.75%	0.151	2.41%	15.83%	7.93%	7.37%
ELS	27.17%	12.47%	0.147	0.97%	32.34%	32.70%	13.82%	24.23%
Senior Sample
NLS72	8.44%	5.80%	0.026	16.00%	54.38%	56.51%	40.43%
HSB	12.28%	5.55%	0.067	7.94%	31.25%	34.21%	14.82%
NELS	15.78%	7.37%	0.084	6.10%	15.14%	10.37%	8.07%
ELS	11.73%	5.95%	0.058	4.57%	38.02%	39.50%	−1.17%	1.77%

Notes: Calculations are based on logistic regression estimations parallel to those shown in Table 2 (without gender as a variable).The second and third columns show the percentages of men and women in STEM majors in the respective sample, and the fourth column shows the observed difference in the share of men in STEM fields and the share of women in STEM fields. The fifth through eighth columns show the percentage of the difference attributable to different combinations of variables, using the coefficients from the estimation for men. Standard errors are adjusted for school clusters. Full sample weights were used for the test score estimates. The sample in the first panel is restricted to students who attend four-year institutions during the spring of their sophomore (HSB, NELS, ELS) years or during the fall of their sophomore year (NLS72). Demog. (demographic variables) consist of race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and parents’ education level.