The mediator effect of STEM education on the gender pay gap: a case study of early-career graduates at a Southern Italian university

Despite recent progress towards a more balanced work environment in terms of gender, the Gender Pay Gap is still a widespread relevant issue both from the economic and sociopolitical points of view. This paper focuses on Italy and uses AlmaLaurea survey data on University of Palermo graduates one year after graduation. The aim is to investigate the potential mediator role of the field of study (STEM vs non-STEM) in the Gender Pay Gap. In fact, the low participation of female students in STEM fie