Several studies reveal insights which suggest that men earn more money than women in Western societies. Contemporary empirical findings in this literature address this issue to the gender difference toward facing competition.
Therefore, it can be drawn that men are more likely to choose competitive environments than women. Furthermore, a remarkable insight emphasizes this gender difference by showing male competitiveness as a predominant fact even in tasks where women are abler.
A fierce stream in the evolutionary biology literature address those gender differences that arise when facing competition to evolutionary or natural basis. In contrast, academic psychologists and sociologists address those differences to cultural behaviour and its social gender roles. The key point is whether women are born less competitive than men or they became so influenced by their society. In light of these contemporary opposing views between academics in this field, Gneezy, Leonard & List (2009) had the idea of studying two opposing societies, the Massai of Tanzania (patriarchal society) and the Khasi of Northeast India (matrilineal and matrilocal society), in order to find out whether men and women compete at a difference level in their respective society. With the aim so solve the nature-nurture puzzle. They find that the pattern in the Maasai patriarchal society is similar to that found in Western societies. Contrary to expectations, the study reveals a reversion in the Khasi matrilineal society, where women compete more than men as can be seen in (Figure 1). Khasi women face competitive environments more often than Maasai men (54% and 50%, respectively). This result provides strong evidence against the theories that state a natural basis as a cause of this gender difference. In addition, this finding implies that socialisation is an important determinant in competitiveness, strongly contributing to solve the aforementioned puzzle.
Fig. 1 Competitive choices across gender in the two societies
Source (Gneezy, Leonard & List, 2009)
A common discussion in economics is the robustness of the models implemented in empirical studies. Findings in mathematical modelling in the field of the gene-culture co-evolution (Laland & Brown, 2002; Mesoudi & Laland 2007) suggests that the process that favour genes linked to competitiveness also favour competitiveness learned from imitation of successful women. Under this statement, a combined social-biological approach can be drawn. In the Khasi society, the transmission of a behaviour through social learning favours the genetic transmission of innate competitiveness. In this study, the model implemented is consistent with those in which both biology and society play a role in forming preferences –due to the experimental task presents a true, not imitated behaviour.
The insights provided by Gneezy, Leonard & List (2009) imply a new avenue for policy-makers when implementing public policies to reduce the gender gap. After finding out that the pattern in Maasai-Western societies is reverted in Khasi society, it can be asserted that the aforementioned difference is based on an interaction of biological and social transmissions. Therefore, policy-makers should target socialisation and education to eliminate this gap.
Another key point that arises is when to implement such policies, at an early age or later in life? Andersen et al. (2013) conducts a study in light of this new avenue in research. They find that girls become less competitive and boys more competitive around puberty in the patriarchal or non-equal society, while this difference never arises in the matrilineal or equal society. This insight is consistent with the gender intensification theory in psychology (Hill & Lynch, 1983) which states that the physical change that occur in puberty increase pressure for sex-typed behaviour (Rose & Rudolph, 2006). With the contribution of Andersen et al. (2013), the public policy of Gneezy, Leonard & List (2009) is refined by suggesting to focus this socialisation and education public policy to eliminate the gender gap on children around puberty since this is the period in which the gap seems to arise.
In short, this insight urges policy-makers to conscientiously implement such a policy in order to fight against the increase of the prevalence of competitiveness over time due to it is learned through imitation and/or is genetically transmitted.
References:
Andersen, S., Ertac, S., Gneezy, U., List, J. A. & Maximiano, S. (2013) ‘Gender, Competitiveness and Socialization at a Young Age: Evidence from a Matrilineal and a Patriarchal Society’ The Review of Economics and Statistics. Vol. 95, No. 4, Pp. 1438-1443.
Gneezy, U., Leonard, K. L. & List, J. A. (2009) ‘Gender Difference in Competition: Evidence from a Matrilineal and a Patriarchal Society’ Econometrica. Vol. 77, pp. 1637-1664.
Hill, J. P. & Lynch, M. E. (1983) ‘The Intensification of Gender-Related Role Expectations’ in Brooks-Gunn, J. & Peterson, A. C. (Ed) Girls at Puberty: Biological and Psychosocial Perspectives. New York: Plenum. Pp. 201-228.
Laland, K. N. & Brown, G. (2002) Sense and Nonsense: Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Mesoudi, A. & Lanand, K. N. (2007) ‘Culturally Transmitted Paternity Beliefs and the Evolution of Human Mating Behaviour’ Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Ser. B. Vol. 274, pp. 1273-1278.
Rose, A. J. & Rudolph K. D. (2006) ‘A Review of Sex Differences in Peer Relationship Processes: Potential Trade-offs for the Emotional and Behavioral Development of Girls and Boys’ Psychological Bulletin. Vol. 132, pp. 98-131.