Single-sex vs. Coeducational schooling: an empirical study on the mental health outcomes of middle school students

Unlike previous literature that mainly examined the cognitive effects of single-sex education, this study investigates its effects on students’ mental health, focusing on depression, suicide-related behaviours, and the various causes of stress. Utilizing a national-level large-scale dataset of middl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied economics Vol. 56; no. 14; pp. 1689 - 1704
Main Authors Kim, Seul-Ki, Kim, Young-Chul
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 21.03.2024
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Economic theory
gender peer effect
Health status
Mental depression
Mental health
Middle schools
Peer relationships
school formation
Sex education
Single sex education
Single-sex schooling
Stress
Students
Suicide
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Summary:Unlike previous literature that mainly examined the cognitive effects of single-sex education, this study investigates its effects on students’ mental health, focusing on depression, suicide-related behaviours, and the various causes of stress. Utilizing a national-level large-scale dataset of middle school students in South Korea and employing an instrument variable approach, we find that attending single-sex schools reduces the probability of depression in female students by about 9.9% points, while no significant effect is observed for male students. Additionally, our research regarding the causes of stress uncovers that single-sex schooling reduces the stress associated with peer relationships, particularly for girls. These findings imply that the non-cognitive benefits of single-sex education may be stronger than previously thought. As a result, we advocate for a more thoughtful and inclusive implementation of school policies, taking into consideration the impact of gender peer effects at school.
ISSN:0003-6846
1466-4283
DOI:10.1080/00036846.2023.2291096