Family lower socioeconomic status for boys accounts for a substantial portion of the gender gap

This study investigates whether family socioeconomic status (SES) differentially affects the lower tail outcomes of boys and finds that the differential effects of family SES on boys’ outcomes are concentrated in the parts of the distribution where the gender gaps are most pronounced. Accounting for the disproportionate effects of family environment on boys at the tails substantially narrows the gender gap in high school dropout.