Introduction to the special issue "The determinants of gender gaps"

This volume contributes to advancing our knowledge on the determinants of gender gaps. It focuses on the role of historical factors in shaping persistent gender gaps and on how careful institutional design can allow different outcomes to reflect only differences in abilities rather than differences in gender. The contributions collected in this volume emphasize that there is no unique determinant of the gender gaps and that the gender gap itself is a multidimensional, complex indicator. They also shed new light on critical factors which favor, on the one side, the emergence of gender gaps and, on the other, reduce their importance.