Follow My Lead: Assertive Cheap Talk and the Gender Gap

A person’s success often depends on whether others believe what they say. Growing evidence suggests that people are less likely to believe statements made by women rather than men. We consider whether assertive cheap talk, an important and widely used tool for increasing credibility, is a mechanism for this gender gap. If women face negative returns to assertive cheap talk, then they have less access to an effective tool for increasing their credibility. We provide evidence using a laboratory experiment and an online replication, both with real stakes, in an advice-following setting. We study whether assertive cheap talk affects advice following, whether subjects discriminate based on advisor gender, and whether there are differential returns to assertive cheap talk by gender. Subjects were randomly assigned to an unseen male or female team leader who were otherwise identical and to different types of prescripted, increasingly assertive written communication from the leader. Assertive language significantly increased advice following, but we find no evidence for gender discrimination. We also find that assertive language had positive returns for both male and female leaders, despite subjects perceiving this language as more masculine. However, female subjects were still less likely to choose the self-promotional language. Thus, even in the absence of discrimination, this choice would reduce adherence to advice provided by women, generating a gender gap. Greater use of assertive language could be an effective strategy for women to increase their influence and credibility in the labor market.