Gender-Based Preferences for Tech? Field Evidence from an Internet-of- Things Platform

Abstract

Why do gender disparities persist in STEM education and technology sector employment? We report on a field experiment in which 92,678 U.S. university-educated individuals from all disciplines and career stages were given the opportunity to join a representative tech opportunity designed to accept all backgrounds. While males are more willing to participate than females in broadest population averages; females in male-dominated fields are at least as willing to participate as male counterparts. Results cannot be explained away by work environment, academic achievement, opportunity costs, or differences in age and cohorts. Therefore, while results indicate widely varying “tastes for tech,” it is incorrect to suggest that either sex has a generally higher propensity to participate.