Leadership, Communication, and Gender Peer Effects at the National Outdoor Leadership School

Non‐cognitive skills play important roles in education and careers, but less is known about peers influences on these skills. The National Outdoor Leadership School conditionally randomly assigns students to wilderness class sections which allows us to estimate causal effects of peers on non‐cognitive skills. Being assigned to peers with higher non‐cognitive ability reduces ratings in communication and leadership, particularly for females. This work suggests relying on strong peers may not be an effective way to bolster non‐cognitive ability for college‐aged individuals and may contribute to fewer women in leadership positions.