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on Gender |
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Issue of 2026–09–07
three papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Thomas Buser (University of Amsterdam) |
| Abstract: | A large experimental literature shows that when given the choice between individual per- formance incentives and competitive incentives, men are typically more likely than women to choose competition. This finding of a robust gender difference in willingness to compete has sparked much follow-up research into the causes and consequences of individual and gender differences in willingness to compete. The aim of this chapter is to summarize these different strands of research and draw conclusions on what we can learn from them. I conclude that there is strong evidence that – underlying individual differences in willingness to compete – there is a “competitiveness†trait that is not well-captured by other traits and preferences, and somewhat less conclusive evidence that there is a gender difference in this trait. Willingness to compete – and the gender gap therein – varies strongly across countries, cultures and social contexts, suggesting that it can be influenced by them. Nevertheless, while the magnitude of the gender gap varies across contexts, men are more competitive than women in most countries and settings, suggesting that biology might play a role as well. Finally, there are strong indications that individual differences in preferences for competition are economically relevant: competitiveness predicts important life choices and labor market outcomes and can statistically explain gender differences in career outcomes. |
| JEL: | D91 J16 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–09–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20260063 |
| By: | Buser, Thomas (Amsterdam School of Economics, University of Amsterdam); Cappelen, Alexander W. (Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration); Gneezy, Uri (Rady School of Management); Tungodden, Bertil (Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration) |
| Abstract: | We provide globally representative evidence on two attitudes toward competition: individuals’ willingness to compete and the importance they attach to boys and girls being willing to compete, using a novel survey module that we fielded as part of the 2022 Gallup World Poll. The data cover more than 66, 000 individuals across 62 countries. Men are more willing to compete than women in all but two countries, and willingness to compete is higher among younger, more educated, and higher-income individuals. Attitudes toward children’s willingness to compete vary substantially across countries, with competitiveness valued more for boys in some countries and for girls in others. Both attitudes are systematically related to the economic and social environment. Individuals exposed to greater inequality or faster population growth during their formative years are more willing to compete and place greater importance on children being willing to compete. Greater exposure to gender equality during formative years is associated with smaller gender gaps in both adults’ willingness to compete and attitudes toward the competitiveness of boys and girls. Our findings reveal striking global regularities while highlighting the role of the social environment in shaping attitudes toward competition. |
| Keywords: | willingness to compete; gender; global; representative sample; socialization |
| JEL: | D91 J16 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–08–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:nhheco:2026_011 |
| By: | Gay, Victor; Milner, Benjamin |
| Abstract: | Combining district-level measures of World War I military fatalities with full-count census microdata, we show that wartime mortality increased postwar female labor force participation in England and Wales. Women shifted away from traditionally female occupations, while military deaths increased the shares of single and widowed women, whose participation rates were higher. Yet the overall effect of military mor-tality on postwar female labor force participation remained modest. A harmonized comparison with France suggests that stronger internal migration in England and Wales rapidly dissipated local marriage- and labor-market imbalances, while more generous pensions for war widows weakened their labor supply response. |
| Keywords: | World War I; Female labor force participation; England and Wales |
| JEL: | J16 J21 N33 N34 |
| Date: | 2026–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tse:wpaper:132063 |