Experiments on Gender and Competition in the Field: A Review

Subhasish Chowdhury and Noemi Peter ()
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Noemi Peter: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands

No 2026005, Working Papers from The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics

Abstract: This review synthesizes evidence from field and lab-in-the-field experiments on gender and competition (including artefactual, framed, and natural field experiments). We first document how the gender gap in willingness to compete varies with cultural, demographic, and task-related factors, highlighting substantial heterogeneity across societies, age groups, and forms of competition. We then review evidence linking competitiveness to educational and labor market outcomes and find that experimental measures of competitiveness are significant predictors of study and career choices and that competitive incentives have causal effects on job entry behavior. Next, we examine a set of interventions, such as information provision, role models, training and mentoring, institutional design, and affirmative action policies that aim to mitigate gender gaps in field settings. Overall, the literature suggests that social and institutional environments can both generate and mitigate gender differences in willingness to compete. We conclude by highlighting avenues for future research.

Keywords: Competition; Gender; Field experiment; Occupational sorting; Affirmative action (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 C93 D91 J16 J24 J71 M51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2026-05
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