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Gender Differences in Competitiveness: Experimental Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Carlsson, Fredrik

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

  • Lampi, Elina

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

  • Martinsson, Peter

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

  • Yang, Xiaojun

    (School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China)

Abstract

Experimental evidence from both the lab and the field shows that women on average have a lower propensity to enter a competitive environment. In this paper, we investigate gender differences in competitiveness using a lab-in-the-field experiment and a subject pool consisting of Chinese adults. China provides an interesting environment to study in this regard since the country has promoted gender equality for a long time and the gender gap in earnings is small in a cross-country comparison. However, in many respects, China is still a patriarchal society. Our experimental results show that women perform equally well as men in a piece-rate task and significantly better in a competitive payment environment. Despite this, men are more than twice as likely to voluntarily choose a competitive environment. This gender difference cannot be explained by differences in risk preferences or overconfidence.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlsson, Fredrik & Lampi, Elina & Martinsson, Peter & Yang, Xiaojun, 2019. "Gender Differences in Competitiveness: Experimental Evidence from China," Working Papers in Economics 766, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0766
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/60399
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Competition; Gender Difference; Experiments; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • P30 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - General

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