Collaborative Research: Gender Differences in Competitive Attitudes

合作研究：竞争态度的性别差异

• 批准号: 0552138
• 负责人: Muriel Niederle
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-07-01 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0552138&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Gender; Differences; Competitive

Gender differences in the representation among high profile jobs as well as in certain fields are substantial. Standard economic explanations for such occupational differences include differences in preferences for work hours and responsibilities, differences in ability, as well as discrimination. In a previous study the researchers showed that occupational differences are likely to prevail absent these factors. The reason is that even on a leveled playing field, men and women differ in their preference for competitive environments. Men are found to be twice as likely as women to select a competitive over a non-competitive compensation, and a gender gap in choices remains when controlling for performance, confidence and risk aversion. While women shy away from competition men compete too much. Such gender differences not only reduce the number of women who enter tournaments, but also those who win tournaments. Hence it decreases the chance of women succeeding in competition for promotions and more lucrative jobs.While demonstrating substantial gender differences in competitive attitudes sheds light on what may cause occupational differences between men and women, it also raises a series of new questions. In particular, absent a better understanding of what may cause or affect such differences, it is by no means clear what can be done to improve the representation of high-productivity women in top-managerial positions. In this study two different approaches are used to better understand what affects the compensation choices of men and women. The first approach examines what may cause differences in competitive attitudes. Specifically, the study examines how such differences develop from childhood through adolescence, and whether the differences depend on the equality between men and women in the country where the individual lives. The second approach investigates if there are institutions that not only cause men and women to make more similar compensation choices, but also choices that provide them with a larger monetary payoff. In a prior study, researchers found that too few high-productivity women and too many low productivity men entered the tournament; the current study attempts to whether changing the institutions can encourages these individuals to make payoff-superior compensation choices. Initially, the potential effects of affirmative action are examined. Then, in addition to studying "common" affirmative action rules, the study assesses what may be viewed as an extreme of such a system--single-sex tournaments. Furthermore, the study also determines whether institutions that provide better feedback to participants may improve their decisions. Finally, the study assesses whether competitive attitudes differ when individuals compete in groups against other groups, rather than as individuals. Since women frequently are found to be more cooperative than men, it may be that they are more willing to compete when doing so in a group of people.Broader Impacts: While much work has been done to explain the occupational gender differences, the innovation in this study is the use of controlled experiments to demonstrate that a role may be played by differences in competitive attitudes. Understanding what affects an individual's willingness to compete is expected to lead to further understanding of what may be done to improve the representation of high-productivity women in top positions. Such practical insights have broad implications for society as a whole.

知名工作以及某些领域的表示形式的性别差异是很大的。 这种职业差异的标准经济解释包括工作时间和责任的偏好，能力差异以及歧视的差异。 在先前的研究中，研究人员表明，职业差异很可能缺乏这些因素。 原因是，即使在一个平稳的竞争环境中，男人和女人的偏好对竞争环境有所不同。 发现男性在不竞争薪酬上选择竞争力的可能性是女性的两倍，而在控制绩效，信心和风险规避的情况下，选择性差距仍然存在。 虽然女性回避竞争，但男人的竞争太多了。 这种性别差异不仅减少了参加比赛的女性人数，而且减少了赢得比赛的女性。 因此，这减少了女性在晋升和更有利可图的工作中成功竞争的机会。虽然证明竞争态度的性别差异很大，这揭示了可能导致男性和女性职业差异的原因，但它也引发了一系列新问题。 特别是，没有更好地理解可能导致或影响这种差异的原因，毫无疑问，可以做些什么来改善高产妇女在顶级管理职位上的表现。在这项研究中，使用两种不同的方法来更好地了解影响男女补偿选择的原因。 第一种方法研究了可能导致竞争态度差异的原因。 具体而言，该研究研究了这种差异是如何从童年到青春期发展的，以及差异是否取决于个人生活的国家男女平等。 第二种方法调查了是否有机构不仅会导致男女做出更多相似的薪酬选择，还可以选择为他们提供更大的货币回报。 在先前的研究中，研究人员发现，高生产力的女性和太多低生产力的男性参加了比赛。当前的研究试图改变机构是否可以鼓励这些人做出较高的赔偿选择。 最初，检查了平权行动的潜在影响。 然后，除了研究“共同”平权行动规则之外，该研究还评估了这种系统 - 性别 - 性别锦标赛的极端。 此外，该研究还确定了为参与者提供更好反馈的机构是否可以改善他们的决策。 最后，研究评估当个人与其他群体竞争而不是个人竞争时，竞争态度是否有所不同。 由于经常发现女性比男性更合作，因此在一群人中可能会更愿意竞争。BROADER的影响：虽然已经做了很多工作来解释职业性别差异，但本研究的创新是使用受控实验来证明在有竞争力的竞争中扮演的角色可能会发挥作用。 理解影响个人竞争意愿的原因有望进一步了解可以采取的措施，以改善高产妇女在最高位置的代表。 这种实用的见解对整个社会具有广泛的影响。