Gender Differences in Risk Behaviour

Does Nurture Matter

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9718341
AutoresAlison L Booth (0000-0003-2237-5279, ANU and University of Essex), Patrick Nolen (University of Essex), Patrick J Nolen (University of Essex)
Ano2012
Volume122
Fascículo558
PáginasF56-F78
Data de publicação2012-02-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Economic Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297
EditoraOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02480.x
OpenAlexW2124025468
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas64
Referências citadas29

Women and men may differ in their propensity to choose a risky outcome because of innate preferences or because their innate preferences are modified by pressure to conform to gender-stereotypes. Single-sex environments are likely to modify students’ risk-taking preferences in economically important ways. To test this, our controlled experiment gave subjects an opportunity to choose a risky outcome ? a real-stakes gamble with a higher expected monetary value than the alternative outcome with a certain payoff ? and in which the sensitivity of observed risk choices to environmental factors could be explored. The results show that girls from single-sex schools are as likely to choose the real-stakes gamble as much as boys from either coed or single sex schools, and more likely than coed girls. Moreover, gender differences in preferences for risk-taking are sensitive to the gender mix of the experimental group, with girls being more likely to choose risky outcomes when assigned to all-girl groups. This suggests that observed gender differences in behaviour under uncertainty found in previous studies might reflect social learning rather than inherent gender traits

Developmental psychology · Economics · Lottery · Mathematics education · Nature versus nurture · Single sex · Sociology · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence · Social Psychology