From the Ghetto to the Ivory Tower: Gendered Effects of Segregation on College Achievement

Nick Ehrmann, Princeton University

The effects of segregation on college GPA are estimated with longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen (NLSF). Whereas theories suggesting that males from segregated communities form “street orientations” relative to female “home orientations” imply male susceptibility to exposure to violence and social disorder, this analysis suggests that among elite college students, females experience the negative effects of segregation relative to their male counterparts in ways unexplained by family SES, prior school quality, and environmental factors. The effects of family stress and family involvement in college also differ depending on race and gender interactions.