Are Females Scared of Competing with Males? Results from a Field Experiment

Maria De Paola (), Francesca Gioia () and Vincenzo Scoppa ()

No 7799, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We conducted a field experiment involving 720 Italian undergraduate students to investigate the existence of gender differences in performance in competitive settings and whether performance is affected by one's opponent gender. The experimental design was aimed at disentangling gender differences in taste for competition from other differences in psychological attitudes, such as self-confidence and risk aversion. Students were invited to undertake a midterm exam under a tournament scheme having as a prize some bonus points to add to the final grade. Students competed in pairs of equal predicted ability but different gender composition. We find that females are as likely as males to take part in the competition and to obtain a good performance. The gender of one's competitor does not play any role in shaping students' behavior. Men and women perform similarly both in the competitive and in the non-competitive environment.

Keywords: student achievements; tournaments; field experiment; psychological differences; attitude toward competition; gender differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 J16 J24 J70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19 pages
Date: 2013-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-edu, nep-exp, nep-hrm, nep-lab and nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

Published - published in: Economics of Education Review, 2015, 48, 117-128

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Related works:
Journal Article: Are females scared of competing with males? Results from a field experiment (2015)
Working Paper: Are Females Scared of Competing with Males? Results from a Field Experiment (2013)
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