Full Citation

Title: Under Pressure: Gender Di§erences in Output Quality and Quantity under Competition and Time Constraints

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2012

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Abstract: Gender gaps in the workplace are widespread. One explanation for gender inequality stems from the e§ects of the interaction between competition and two pressure sources, namely, task stereotypes and time constraints. This study uses a laboratory experiment to Önd that the gender gap in performance under competition and preferences for competition can be partly explained by the di§erential responses of men and women to the above pressures. In particular, while women underperform the men in a high- pressure math-based tournament, women greatly increase their performance levels and their willingness to compete in a low-pressure verbal environment, such that they actually surpass the men. This e§ect appears largely due to the fact that extra time in a verbal competition improves the quality of womenís work, reducing their mistake share. On the other hand, men use this extra time to increase only the quantity of work, which results in a greater relative number of mistakes. A simple labor market study suggests that the nature of the job and the stress level seem to be correlated with the gender gap in the labor market in a manner consistent with the results of my experiment.

Url: https://wappp.hks.harvard.edu/files/wappp/files/under_pressure.pdf

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Authors: Shurchkov, Olga

Periodical (Full): Journal of the European Economic Association

Issue: 5

Volume: 10

Pages: 1189–1213

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Gender

Countries: United States