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on Gender |
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Issue of 2025–07–21
eight papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Mario Lackner; Hendrik Sonnabend |
| Abstract: | This paper explores how positive feedback in a competitive setting shapes the evolution of gender differences in risk tolerance during adolescence. We use data from professional diving, a ‘real life, real risk’ environment where the notion of risk is very intuitive and associated with the height of the dive. We find that young divers are more engaged in high-risk (platform) competitions after their first win in a low-risk (springboard) competition. This effect is driven by individuals with no prior platform experience and is more pronounced for males: On average, male divers are 37% more likely to participate in platform diving after their first win compared to 10% for female divers. Additional findings indicate that the treatment intensity (for female divers) and the coach’s gender (for male divers) are moderators of the effect. |
| Keywords: | risk-taking, positive feedback, gender, adolescence |
| JEL: | D01 D81 D91 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jku:econwp:2025-10 |
| By: | Matsukura, Rikiya (Nihon University); Oshio, Takashi (Hitotsubashi University); Ueno, Yuko (Hitotsubashi University); Usui, Emiko (Hitotsubashi University) |
| Abstract: | Using original survey data from parents of children in kindergarten through junior high school in Tokyo, Japan, we find that parents exhibit stronger preferences for sons over daughters to participate in extracurricular STEM activities, with the gender gap widening as children age. Parents aspiring for their children to pursue STEM degrees prioritize science classes more, a preference more often directed toward boys. These gendered differences affect children’s early exposure to science. Since Japanese students choose between science and humanities tracks by eleventh grade, early disparities may limit girls’ opportunities. Promoting equal STEM access is crucial to reducing these gender gaps. |
| Keywords: | gender, STEM, science learning, Japan |
| JEL: | A21 I24 J13 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17982 |
| By: | Natalia I. Valdez-Gonzalez (Universitat de Barcelona); Adriana Gaviria (Universidad Loyola); Antonio M. Espin (Universidad de Granada; Chapman University) |
| Abstract: | The gender gap in willingness to compete is thought to underlie enduring inequalities in education, career choice, and labor market outcomes. Yet it remains unclear whether the gap reflects true preference differences or results from confounding factors such as task stereotypes, overconfidence, or risk aversion. We test gender differences in competition entry across eight pre-registered studies in seven countries spanning four continents (Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, Madagascar, Spain, The Philippines, and Uruguay; total n = 1, 833), using an experimental design that systematically minimizes these confounds: (i) based on a non-male-stereotyped task (the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test); (ii) matching participants with an opponent of identical baseline, piece-rate performance to remove strategic uncertainty and the role of beliefs; and (iii) reducing the riskiness of competition. Despite these features—and no consistent gender gap in performance—we find that women enter competition significantly less than men (meta-analytic difference = 6–7 %), with no cross-country heterogeneity. Overconfidence is higher among men and predicts competition entry, but it does not explain the gender gap. Risk preferences play no role. Thus, in a setting designed to equalize opportunity and eliminate known drivers of the gap, gender differences in competition persist. This suggests that a residual preference for competition difference may contribute to gender disparities in high-stakes economic environments across cultures. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:chu:wpaper:25-04 |
| By: | Cubel, Maria; Sanchez-Pages, Santiago; Schwieren, Christiane; Steck, Cosima-Valerie |
| Abstract: | Extensive research has documented gender differences in the willingness to compete against others. Less attention has been given to situations where individuals must meet a standard of excellence to obtain rewards, such as promotions, grants, and publications. This paper investigates gender differences in competing against such standards through a laboratory experiment. Participants completed two rounds of a multiple-choice test. After the first round, they received feedback on whether they met a top-quartile performance threshold set by a reference group. Before the second round, they had to choose between a piece rate payment or a higher rate contingent upon surpassing the threshold. We compared choices across a control treatment with no feedback and three feedback conditions with varying standards: objective peer performance, peer expectations, and expert expectations. Results show that without feedback, women are less likely than men to benchmark against the standard. Feedback closes this gap when the standard is set by peers, but not when set by experts. A theoretical model and an out-of-experiment study suggest these differences stem from gendered priors about ability and asymmetric belief updating. These findings offer insights into gender differences in self-promotion and suggest ways feedback might mitigate these differences. |
| Keywords: | gender; competitive behavior; experiment; information provision |
| Date: | 2025–07–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:awi:wpaper:0764 |
| By: | Elsa Fontainha; Tanya Araújo |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates International Research Collaboration (IRC) among European Union (EU) countries from 2011 to 2022, with emphasis on gender-based authorship patterns. Drawing from the Web of Science Social Science Citation Index (WoS-SSCI) database, a large dataset of IRC articles was constructed, annotated with categories of authorship based on gender, author affiliation, and COVID-19 subject as topic. Using network science, the study maps collaboration structures and reveals gendered differences in co-authorship networks. Results highlight a substantial rise in IRC over the decade, particularly with the USA and China as key non-EU partners. Articles with at least one female author were consistently less frequent than those with at least one male author. Notably, female-exclusive collaborations showed distinctive network topologies, with more centralized (star-like) patterns and shorter tree diameters. The COVID-19 pandemic further reshaped collaboration dynamics, temporarily reducing the gender gap in IRC but also revealing vulnerabilities in female-dominated research networks. These findings underscore both progress and persistent disparities in the gender dynamics of EU participation in IRC. |
| Keywords: | International Research Collaboration, European Union, Network Analysis, Gender differences, Scientometrics. |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ise:remwps:wp03822025 |
| By: | Gangadharan, Lata (Monash Univ); Rabanal, Jean Paul (University of Stavanger); Riyanto, Eko (Nanyang Technological University;); Rud, Olga (University of Stavanger); Ødegaard, Bernt Arne (University of Stavanger) |
| Abstract: | We examine whether shareholders' responses to risky investment decisions are influenced by the gender of the firm's manager, particularly when these decisions directly affect the fundamental value per share. Our findings indicate that male and female managers make similar investment choices, that shareholder beliefs about the managers' choices are generally accurate, and that market prices do not differ by manager gender. These findings suggest that gender diversity in leadership does not negatively affect shareholder valuation. However, when subjects are explicitly asked to compare the investment of male and female managers, strong gender stereotypes emerge, and most expect male managers to take on more risk. A similar bias is evident in share price comparisons, with male-led firms slightly favored, although the effect is weaker than that observed in the beliefs about investment decisions. This pattern suggests that, while individual judgments may be biased, market mechanisms can partially alleviate such biases. |
| Keywords: | Gender; Risk Aversion; Corporate decisions; Experimental Finance |
| JEL: | C90 D81 G11 G35 G41 G51 |
| Date: | 2025–07–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:stavef:2025_002 |
| By: | Bagues, Manuel (University of Warwick); Zinovyeva, Natalia (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | Gender segregation in higher education persists across developed countries and is paradoxically stronger in wealthier, more gender-equal societies. Using data from over 500, 000 children across 37 Western countries, we show that this segregation has roots in childhood. We document a strong correlation at the country level between segregation in higher education and in childhood friendships. Longitudinal data from 10, 000 British households further shows that children with fewer opposite-sex friends at age 7 are significantly more likely to select gender-dominated educational subjects a decade later. The stronger segregation observed in richer countries seems to reflect economic prosperity rather than backlash against gender equality: while children from wealthier households report fewer cross-gender friendships, those whose parents hold more gender-egalitarian views have more opposite-sex friends. We identify two mechanisms explaining this income gradient: affluent families’ structured activities that emphasize children’s self-expression foster gender-segregated environments, and higher-income children’s personality traits reduce demand for cross-gender friendships. |
| Keywords: | gender equality paradox, cross-gender friendships, women in STEM |
| JEL: | J16 I21 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17988 |
| By: | Max Coveney (Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute); Pilar Garcia-Gomez (Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute); Teresa Marreiros Bago d'Uva (Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute) |
| Abstract: | Should gender composition be taken into account when forming teams? This paper examines how the output of teams completing tasks similar to those performed in many workplaces is influenced by their gender composition. Leveraging an economics bachelor course in which students are randomly paired together, we document large differences in performance grades by the gender make-up of the team. All-male teams are significantly outperformed by both mixed and all-female teams. These differences remain even when comprehensively controlling for the individual task aptitude of each of the group members, as well as other characteristics potentially relevant for teamwork that may vary by gender. Exploring mechanisms, we find suggestive evidence that women have greater preferences for cooperation, and - even when controlling for individual ability - exert higher effort levels in teams compared to men. This asymmetry appears to lead to members of mixed-gender teams reporting the worst team experiences. |
| Date: | 2025–05–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20250032 |