IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agisys/v217y2024ics0308521x24001045.html

Gender bias in customer perceptions: The case of agro-input dealers in Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • De, Anusha
  • Miehe, Caroline
  • Van Campenhout, Bjorn

Abstract

Faced with incomplete and imperfect information, economic actors rely predominantly on perceptions and often base decisions on heuristics prone to bias. Gender bias in perceptions favoring men has been found in a variety of settings and may be an important reason why some sectors remain dominated by men and gender gaps in terms of benefits persist. In modernizing food supply chains in a patriarchal context such as the maize sub-sector in Uganda, this may result in women facing significant barriers to entry.

Suggested Citation

  • De, Anusha & Miehe, Caroline & Van Campenhout, Bjorn, 2024. "Gender bias in customer perceptions: The case of agro-input dealers in Uganda," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:217:y:2024:i:c:s0308521x24001045
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103954
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24001045
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103954?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anderson, Michael L., 2008. "Multiple Inference and Gender Differences in the Effects of Early Intervention: A Reevaluation of the Abecedarian, Perry Preschool, and Early Training Projects," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 103(484), pages 1481-1495.
    2. Barriga, Alicia & Fiala, Nathan, 2020. "The supply chain for seed in Uganda: Where does it go wrong?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. David Card & Stefano DellaVigna & Patricia Funk & Nagore Iriberri, 2020. "Are Referees and Editors in Economics Gender Neutral?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(1), pages 269-327.
    4. Tessa Bold & Kayuki C. Kaizzi & Jakob Svensson & David Yanagizawa-Drott, 2017. "Lemon Technologies and Adoption: Measurement, Theory and Evidence from Agricultural Markets in Uganda," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(3), pages 1055-1100.
    5. Proscovia R. Ntakyo & Marrit Van Den Berg, 2022. "The Unintended Side-Effects of a Major Development Strategy: Commercialization of Smallholder Production and Women Empowerment in Uganda," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(8), pages 1605-1626, August.
    6. Curzi, Daniele & Nota, Paolo & Di Falco, Salvatore, 2022. "Post-Harvest Losses and Climate Conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa," 96th Annual Conference, April 4-6, 2022, K U Leuven, Belgium 321219, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.
    7. Alibhai,Salman & Donald,Aletheia Amalia & Goldstein,Markus P. & Oguz,Alper Ahmet & Pankov,Alexander & Strobbe,Francesco, 2019. "Gender Bias in SME Lending : Experimental Evidence from Turkey," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9100, The World Bank.
    8. Bjorn Van Campenhout & Anusha De, 2023. "Gendered perceptions in maize supply chains: Evidence from Uganda," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(2), March.
    9. Anusha Chari & Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, 2017. "Gender Representation in Economics Across Topics and Time: Evidence from the NBER Summer Institute," Working Papers 2017-081, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    10. A. Colin Cameron & Douglas L. Miller, 2015. "A Practitioner’s Guide to Cluster-Robust Inference," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(2), pages 317-372.
    11. Lori Beaman & Raghabendra Chattopadhyay & Esther Duflo & Rohini Pande & Petia Topalova, 2009. "Powerful Women: Does Exposure Reduce Bias?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(4), pages 1497-1540.
    12. Puskur, Ranjitha & Mudege, Netsayi N. & Njuguna-Mungai, Esther & Nchanji, Eileen Bogweh & Vernooy, Ronnie & Galiè, Alessandra & Najjar, Dina, 2021. "Moving beyond reaching women in seed systems development," IFPRI book chapters, in: Advancing gender equality through agricultural and environmental research: Past, present, and future, chapter 3, pages 113-146, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    13. Lecoutere, Els & Spielman, David J. & Van Campenhout, Bjorn, 2023. "Empowering women through targeting information or role models: Evidence from an experiment in agricultural extension in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    14. Jemimah Njuki & Susan Kaaria & Angeline Chamunorwa & Wanjiku Chiuri, 2011. "Linking Smallholder Farmers to Markets, Gender and Intra-Household Dynamics: Does the Choice of Commodity Matter?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 23(3), pages 426-443, July.
    15. Maha Ashour & Daniel Orth Gilligan & Jessica Blumer Hoel & Naureen Iqbal Karachiwalla, 2019. "Do Beliefs About Herbicide Quality Correspond with Actual Quality in Local Markets? Evidence from Uganda," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(6), pages 1285-1306, June.
    16. Gorton, Matthew & Sauer, Johannes & Supatpongkul, Pajaree, 2011. "Wet Markets, Supermarkets and the "Big Middle" for Food Retailing in Developing Countries: Evidence from Thailand," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1624-1637, September.
    17. Giroux, Stacey & Blekking, Jordan & Waldman, Kurt & Resnick, Danielle & Fobi, Daniel, 2021. "Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    18. Catherine Porter & Danila Serra, 2020. "Gender Differences in the Choice of Major: The Importance of Female Role Models," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 226-254, July.
    19. Alice H. Wu, 2020. "Gender Bias among Professionals: An Identity-Based Interpretation," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 102(5), pages 867-880, December.
    20. Laura Hospido & Carlos Sanz, 2021. "Gender Gaps in the Evaluation of Research: Evidence from Submissions to Economics Conferences," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 83(3), pages 590-618, June.
    21. Duncan Thomas, 1990. "Intra-Household Resource Allocation: An Inferential Approach," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 25(4), pages 635-664.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mastenbroek, Astrid, 2025. "Scaling seed demand through behavioral insights: Applying the COM-B model and behavioral change wheel to the maize seed sector in Uganda," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    2. Ulimwengu, John M. & Hema, Aboubacar & Marivoet, Wim & Omamo, Steven Were, 2025. "Informing CAADP 2026–2035: What a decade of IFPRI Research in Africa tells us," Policy briefs 174708, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Van Campenhout, Bjorn & Nabwire, Leocardia, 2025. "Buyer-side gender discrimination in bargaining: Evidence from seed sales in Uganda," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mastenbroek, Astrid, 2025. "Scaling seed demand through behavioral insights: Applying the COM-B model and behavioral change wheel to the maize seed sector in Uganda," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    2. Bjorn Van Campenhout & Anusha De, 2023. "Gendered perceptions in maize supply chains: Evidence from Uganda," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(2), March.
    3. Biermann, Marcus, 2024. "Remote talks: Changes to economics seminars during COVID-19," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    4. Michelson, Hope & Gourlay, Sydney & Lybbert, Travis & Wollburg, Philip, 2023. "Review: Purchased agricultural input quality and small farms," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. Arceo-Gomez, Eva O. & Campos-Vazquez, Raymundo M., 2022. "Gender Bias in Evaluation Processes," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Galiè, Alessandra & Kramer, Berber & Spielman, David J. & Kawarazuka, Nozomi & Rietveld, Anne M. & Aju, Stellamaris, 2025. "Inclusive and gender-transformative seed systems: Concepts and applications," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    7. Singhal, Karan & Sierminska, Eva, 2024. "Inequality in the Economics Profession," IZA Discussion Papers 17584, IZA Network @ LISER.
    8. Van Campenhout, Bjorn & Abate, Gashaw T. & Colen, Liesbeth & Kramer, Berber, 2025. "Signaling, screening, or sunk costs? Experimental evidence on how prices affect agricultural technology adoption in East Africa," IFPRI discussion papers 2369, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Lecoutere, Els & Spielman, David J. & Van Campenhout, Bjorn, 2023. "Empowering women through targeting information or role models: Evidence from an experiment in agricultural extension in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    10. Valentina Paredes & M. Daniele Paserman & Francisco J. Pino, 2025. "Does Economics Make You Sexist?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 107(5), pages 1247-1259, September.
    11. Paula Pereda, Fabiana Rocha & Liz Matsunaga & Maria Dolores Montoya Diaz & Renata Narita & Bruna Borges, 2021. "Gender differences in the academic career of economics in Brazil," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 40(84), pages 815-892.
    12. Koffi, Marlene, 2021. "Innovative ideas and gender inequality," CLEF Working Paper Series 35, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    13. Roberto Asmat & Karol J. Borowiecki & Marc T. Law, 2024. "Competing for Equality: Gender Bias Among Juries in International Piano Competitions, 1890-2023," ACEI Working Paper Series AWP-03-2024, Association for Cultural Economics International.
    14. Judit Vall Castelló & Lídia Farré, 2025. "Promoting Female Talent in Science: Evidence from an Affirmative Action Policy," Working Papers 1478, Barcelona School of Economics.
    15. Hope Michelson, 2025. "Navigating the Measurement Frontier: New Insights Into Small Farm Realities," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 56(3), pages 526-542, May.
    16. Lena Janys, 2021. "Testing the Presence of Implicit Hiring Quotas with Application to German Universities," Papers 2109.14343, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2021.
    17. Paula Pereda & Maria Dolores Montoya Diaz & Fabiana Rocha & Liz Matsunaga & Bruna Pugialli Borges & Jesus Mena-Chalco & Renata Narita & Clara Brenck, 2023. "Are women less persistent? Evidence from submissions to a nationwide meeting of economics," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(16), pages 1757-1768, April.
    18. David Card & Stefano DellaVigna & Patricia Funk & Nagore Iriberri, 2022. "Gender Differences in Peer Recognition by Economists," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(5), pages 1937-1971, September.
    19. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Friebel, Guido & Weinberger, Alisa & ,, 2021. "Women in Economics: Europe and the World," CEPR Discussion Papers 16686, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    20. So Yoon Ahn & Youjin Hahn & Semee Yoon, 2021. "Can New Learning Opportunities Reshape Gender Attitudes for Girls?: Field Evidence from Tanzania," Working Papers 2021-046, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:217:y:2024:i:c:s0308521x24001045. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.