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Gender differences in social interactions

Author

Listed:
  • Guido Friebel
  • Marie Lalanne
  • Bernard Richter
  • Paul Seabright

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Peter Schwardmann

Abstract

We study how the random assignment of new students to introductory-week groups shapes subsequent friendship networks. Both women and men report being much more likely to be friends with same-gender students with whom they were (randomly) assigned in a group during their first week on campus, and the effect is much stronger for women. When students from the same cohort play a repeated trust game in the experimental laboratory, their behavior helps explain what we observed in the field. Women display more stability and less flexibility than men in their interactions with individuals with whom they had previously played. This difference is enough to generate homophily in the observational data even though subjects show no intrinsic preference for same-gender interaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Guido Friebel & Marie Lalanne & Bernard Richter & Paul Seabright & Peter Schwardmann, 2021. "Gender differences in social interactions," Post-Print hal-03231079, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03231079
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.03.016
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    Cited by:

    1. Ziyun Suo & Qinxin Guo & Junyi Shen, 2025. "Revisiting the effect of trustworthy face and attractive appearance on trust and trustworthiness behavior," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(15), pages 1740-1760, March.
    2. Schmal, W. Benedikt & Haucap, Justus & Knoke, Leon, 2023. "The role of gender and coauthors in academic publication behavior," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(10).
    3. Alessandra Cassar & Alejandrina Cristia & Pauline Grosjean & Sarah Walker, 2022. "It Makes a Village: Allomaternal Care and Prosociality," Discussion Papers 2022-06, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    4. Takumi Kato, 2021. "Opposition in Japan to the Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Hederos, Karin & Sandberg, Anna & Kvissberg, Lukas & Polano, Erik, 2025. "Gender homophily in job referrals: Evidence from a field study among university students," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Siobhán M. Mattison & Neil G. MacLaren & Ruizhe Liu & Adam Z. Reynolds & Gabrielle D. Baca & Peter M. Mattison & Meng Zhang & Chun-Yi Sum & Mary K. Shenk & Tami Blumenfield & Christopher von Rueden & , 2021. "Gender Differences in Social Networks Based on Prevailing Kinship Norms in the Mosuo of China," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Menaka Hampole & Francesca Truffa & Ashley Wong, 2024. "Peer Effects and the Gender Gap in Corporate Leadership: Evidence from MBA Students," CESifo Working Paper Series 11295, CESifo.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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