Who benefits and how? Gendered effects of higher education expansion on local human capital investment

Abstract

Rapid higher education expansion has significantly altered the distribution of human capital investment across genders in developing countries. This paper exploits geographic and temporal variation in new campus openings during China's large-scale higher education expansion to examine its gendered effects on local human capital investment. Exposure to new campuses increases average schooling by 0.43 years, with most gains accruing to women. The effects spill over to neighboring counties and are stronger in regions with greater initial gender inequality. Mechanism analysis suggests that men benefit primarily through expanded local supply of vocational college seats, while women's gains across all education levels are driven by rising demand for female education. Rural women benefit mainly at the vocational level, whereas urban women gain disproportionately in university access. Our findings highlight the need for gender-specific approaches to promote equitable access to educational opportunities in higher education expansion policy designs.