Gender Differences in Willingness to Compete: The Role of Culture and Institutions. Issue 618 (2nd February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Booth, Alison; Fan, Elliott; Meng, Xin; Zhang, Dandan
• Is Part Of: Economic journal. Volume 129:Issue 618(2019)
• Page Start: 734
• Page End: 764
• Publication Date: 2018-02-02
• Subjects: Economics -- Periodicals; Économie politique -- Périodiques; 330.05
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12583
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-0133

Abstract

Abstract: Our Beijing-based laboratory experiment investigated gender differences in competitive choices across different birth-cohorts experiencing – during their crucial developmental-age – different institutions and social norms. To control for general time trends, we use Taipei counterpart subjects with identical original Confucian traditions. Our findings confirm that exposure to different institutions/norms during crucial developmental-ages significantly changes individuals' behaviour. In particular, Beijing females growing up during the communist regime are more competitively inclined than their male counterparts; their female counterparts growing up during the market regime; and Taipei females. For Taipei, there are no statistically significant cohort or gender differences in willingness to compete.