Gender, Stress, and Job Performance: The Effects of Personal Bankruptcy on Male and Female Agents in the Resale Housing Market

Males and females exhibit differences in decision-making, negotiation, and other job-related behavior. This article considers another largely neglected aspect: differences in job performance during periods of personal life stress. We use resale housing market transaction data to examine changes in male and female agent sales performance when filing personal bankruptcy. We take into account both their choice of properties to list and how they serve the clients they represent. In addition, our empirical approach also provides evidence on the extent to which bankruptcy identifies types of agents who normally conduct business differently versus temporary changes in professional behavior during periods of stress. For both males and females, bankruptcy signals types of agents whose business practices differ from other agents, as well as changes in their behavior during temporary periods of stress. But gender differences exist both in terms of the type of agent and as well as how they respond to temporary periods of stress.