Women win through averages, men win through extremes

Abstract

Undergraduate GPA data of a major research university in Canada from 2013 to 2016 were analyzed to identify GPA gender gaps. Results indicate that while female students outperform male students in terms of GPA, male students tend to have higher GPA standard deviation. Consistent with other business schools, the male students in the sample outnumber female students, but the proportion of male students who received a university entrance scholarship is lower than the proportion of female students admitted who received scholarships. In comparing the two business programs, the GPA gender gap is larger in the program that has poorer overall performance. Male students are overrepresented in the left tail of the distribution in terms of GPA but underrepresented in the right tail of the distribution. These findings support the theory that in terms of university grades, men (if they win at all) win through extremes and women win through averages.