Harsher grading policies in STEM courses disproportionately affect women

Substantial earnings differences exist across majors with the majors that pay well also having lower grades and higher workloads. This study shows that the harsher grading policies in STEM courses disproportionately affect women. Restrictions on grading policies that equalize average grades across classes helps to close the STEM gender gap as well as increasing overall enrollment in STEM classes.