Credentials Matter, but Only for Men: Evidence from the S&P 500

We study gender differences in the value of credentials in managerial labor markets. We use within-firm variation in S&P 500 status for marginal firms “just included” on the index and managers who joined a marginal firm before its addition to the index to obtain variation in S&P 500 experience. We then difference out any unobservables that affect both women and men within the same firm-year. Men with experience at an S&P 500 firm obtain more subsequent independent directorships and executive roles at other S&P 500 firms, but not at non-S&P 500 firms. The increase is 15-33% relative to the average. We observe no such relationship for women. Our results suggest that women and men are evaluated differently in the managerial labor market.