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A Feminist Review of Behavioral Economic Research on Gender Differences

Author

Listed:
  • 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. Leites, Martín & Rivero, Analía & Salas, Gonzalo, 2024. "The positionality of goods and the positional concern’s origin," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    2. 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).
    3. Grosch, Kerstin & Fischer, Sabine, 2024. "Gender equivalence in overconfidence A large-scale experimental study in a non-WEIRD country," Department for Strategy and Innovation Working Paper Series 02/2024, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    4. Müge Süer & Nicola Cerutti & Jana Friedrichsen & Gyula Seres, 2024. "Do Women Comply More than Men? Experimental Evidence from a General Population Sample," CESifo Working Paper Series 11593, CESifo.
    5. 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.
    6. Stefano Piasenti & Müge Süer, 2024. "Predictive Power of Biological Sex and Gender Identity on Economic Behavior," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 513, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    7. Chadi, Cornelia & Jirjahn, Uwe, 2024. "Does society influence the gender gap in risk attitudes? Evidence from East and West Germany," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    8. 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).
    9. Plotkina, Daria & Hoffmann, Arvid O.I. & Roger, Patrick & D’Hondt, Catherine, 2024. "Gender vs. personality: The role of masculinity in explaining cognitive style," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    10. 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.
    11. repec:rim:rimwps:23-15 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Verónica Amarante & Marisa Bucheli & Tatiana Pérez, 2024. "Gender Differences in Opinions about Market Solutions and Government Interventions: The Case Of Uruguayan Economists," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 211-243, January.
    13. repec:rim:rimwps:24-13 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. 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.
    15. Emily Y. Lin & Joel Slemrod & Evelyn Smith & Alexander Yuskavage, 2025. "Who’s on (the 1040) first? Determinants and consequences of spouses’ name order on joint returns," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 32(4), pages 957-994, August.
    16. Plotkina, Daria & Hoffmann, Arvid O.I. & Roger, Patrick & D’Hondt, Catherine, 2024. "Gender vs. personality: The role of masculinity in explaining cognitive style," LIDAM Reprints LFIN 2024010, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Finance (LFIN).
    17. Marisa Bucheli & Florencia Amábile & Carmen Estrades, 2024. "Gender differences in teachers' assessments and blind test results – evidence from Uruguay," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 0324, Department of Economics - dECON.
    18. Gangadharan, Lata & Rabanal, Jean Paul & Riyanto, Eko & Rud, Olga & Ødegaard, Bernt Arne, 2025. "Gender and Risky Investment: Do Markets Reflect or Alleviate Gender Stereotypes in Leadership?," UiS Working Papers in Economics and Finance 2025/2, University of Stavanger.
    19. 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.
    20. María Bastida & Miguel Á. Vázquez Taín & Alberto Vaquero García & María Luisa del Río Araújo, 2025. "Gender blindness in the ‘Next Generation European Union’ funds: Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation social economy as an exception to the rule," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 96(3), pages 487-511, September.
    21. Fang Zhang & Hang Zhang & Yun Zhang, 2023. "Trust premium in the second-hand housing market: evidence from the negotiation rate," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    22. Daria Plotkina & Arvid O.I. Hoffmann & Patrick Roger & Catherine D’hondt, 2024. "Gender vs. personality: The role of masculinity in explaining cognitive style," Post-Print hal-04758211, HAL.

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