The Importance of Being Marginal: Gender Differences in Generosity

Stefano DellaVigna, John List, Ulrike Malmendier and Gautam Rao

No 18748, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Do men and women have different social preferences? Previous findings are contradictory. We provide a potential explanation using evidence from a field experiment. In a door-to-door solicitation, men and women are equally generous, but women become less generous when it becomes easy to avoid the solicitor. Our structural estimates of the social preference parameters suggest an explanation: women are more likely to be on the margin of giving, partly because of a less dispersed distribution of altruism. We find similar results for the willingness to complete an unpaid survey: women are more likely to be on the margin of participation.

JEL-codes: C93 D64 H4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-evo, nep-exp, nep-ltv and nep-soc
Note: LS PE
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (64)

Published as Stefano DellaVigna & John A. List & Ulrike Malmendier & Gautam Rao, 2013. "The Importance of Being Marginal: Gender Differences in Generosity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(3), pages 586-90, May.

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Journal Article: The Importance of Being Marginal: Gender Differences in Generosity (2013)
Working Paper: The Importance of Being Marginal: Gender Differences in Generosity (2013)
Working Paper: The Importance of Being Marginal: Gender Differences in Generosity
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