The Gendered Burden of Administrative Corruption: Large-Scale Survey Evidence of Gender Effects in Bribery, Favoritism, and Sextortion in Civil Service Provision

Corruption is an unresolved issue in public administration worldwide, causing severe societal harm. Although research links greater female empowerment and participation in politics, government, and the labor force with lower levels of corruption, research on the relationship between gender and corruption in the context of public service provision is still scarce. Challenging the fairer sex hypothesis, this study explores the degree to which administrative corruption exercises a gendered burden on citizens and, using survey data of more than 64,800 citizens nested in 54 countries/territories in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, shows that women are disproportionally affected by distinct forms of administrative corruption. We find that women are significantly more likely to having to engage in bribery and favoritism to receive essential public services, and that gender inequality and the quality of public institutions significantly moderate these relationships. By highlighting the gendered burden of corruption, this study significantly advances our understand