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Eva Ranehill. Photo.

Eva Ranehill

Professor

Eva Ranehill. Photo.

Outrunning the gender gap—boys and girls compete equally

Author

  • Anna Dreber
  • Emma von Essen
  • Eva Ranehill

Summary, in English

Recent studies find that women are less competitive than men. This gender difference in competitiveness has been suggested as one possible explanation for why men occupy the majority of top positions in many sectors. In this study we explore competitiveness in children, with the premise that both context and gendered stereotypes regarding the task at hand may influence competitive behavior. A related field experiment on Israeli children shows that only boys react to competition by running faster when competing in a race. We here test if there is a gender gap in running among 7–10 year old Swedish children. We also introduce two female sports, skipping rope and dancing, to see if competitiveness is task dependent. We find no gender difference in reaction to competition in any task; boys and girls compete equally. Studies in different environments with different types of tasks are thus important in order to make generalizable claims about gender differences in competitiveness.

Publishing year

2011-11

Language

English

Pages

567-582

Publication/Series

Experimental Economics

Volume

14

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Economics
  • Gender Studies

Keywords

  • Competitiveness
  • Gender differences
  • Field experiment
  • C93
  • D03
  • J16

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1573-6938