Remote delivery of STEM and entrepreneurship role models at scale changes college major choice in Ecuador

Youth often decide what to study with limited exposure to many high-paying careers. In-person visits from role models can change behaviour but are difficult to scale and typically expose youth to only one person in one career. We test the impact of exposing youth to multiple role models, in both science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and entrepreneurship careers, using online video interviews to intervene at large scale in a randomized trial with 29,243 students in 813 Ecuadorian high schools. Girls treated with multiple role models reduce their likelihood of choosing a STEM major, increasing enrolment in business majors instead. Boys also shift their major choice away from STEM and move towards other majors such as agriculture. The contrast between fields appears to shift youth away from what they see as the more challenging career and reinforces girls’ stereotypical college major choice.