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A Feminist Review of Behavioral Economic Research on Gender Differences

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  • Esther-Mirjam Sent
  • Irene van Staveren

Abstract

This study provides a critical review of the behavioral economics literature on gender differences using key feminist concepts, including roles, stereotypes, identities, beliefs, context factors, and the interaction of men’s and women’s behaviors in mixed-gender settings. It assesses both statistical significance and economic significance of the reported behavioral differences. The analysis focuses on agentic behavioral attitudes (risk appetite and overconfidence; often stereotyped as masculine) and communal behavioral attitudes (altruism and trust; commonly stereotyped as feminine). The study shows that the empirical results of size effects are mixed and that in addition to gender differences, large intra-gender differences (differences among men and differences among women) exist. The paper finds that few studies report statistically significant as well as sizeable differences – often, but not always, with gender differences in the expected direction. Many studies have not sufficiently taken account of various social, cultural, and ideological drivers behind gender differences in behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Esther-Mirjam Sent & Irene van Staveren, 2019. "A Feminist Review of Behavioral Economic Research on Gender Differences," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(2), pages 1-35, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:25:y:2019:i:2:p:1-35
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2018.1532595
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Olivier Bargain & Maria C. Lo Bue, 2021. "The economic gains of closing the employment gender gap: Evidence from Morocco," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-79, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Suzanne Bartholomae & Jonathan J. Fox, 2021. "A Decade Review of Research on College Student Financial Behavior and Well-Being," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 154-177, July.
    3. Masuda, Yuta J. & Waterfield, Gina & Castilla, Carolina & Kang, Shiteng & Zhang, Wei, 2022. "Does balancing gender composition lead to more prosocial outcomes? Experimental evidence of equality in public goods and extraction games from rural Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    4. Claudia Roethlisberger & Franziska Gassmann & Wim Groot & Bruno Martorano, 2023. "The contribution of personality traits and social norms to the gender pay gap: A systematic literature review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 377-408, April.
    5. Grace C. Liu & Willem Spanjers, 2023. "Modeling Uncertainties and Gender Differences in Entrepreneurial Decision Making," Working Paper series 23-15, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    6. Verónica Amarante & Marisa Bucheli & Tatiana Pérez & Verónica Amarante, 2022. "Gender differences in opinions about market solutions and government interventions: the case of Uruguayan economists," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 22-01, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    7. Paul Gerrans & Anthony Asher & Joanne Kaa Earl, 2022. "Cognitive functioning, financial literacy, and judgment in older age," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1637-1674, April.
    8. Patrizia Ordine & Giuseppe Rose & Pasquale Giacobbe, 2023. "The effect of female representation on political budget cycle and public expenditure: Evidence from Italian municipalities," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1), pages 97-145, March.
    9. Fang Zhang & Hang Zhang & Yun Zhang, 2023. "Trust premium in the second-hand housing market: evidence from the negotiation rate," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.

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