The decreasing returns to gender equality: evidence from the 2012 summer Olympics

Abstract

This article uses data from the World Economic Forum to examine the role that closing the gender gap played in promoting national success at the 2012 summer Olympics. Tobit analysis reveals that economic equality increases weighted medal shares, while political equality is associated with lower success, ceteris paribus. The inverse relationship between political equality and Olympic success becomes manifest once nations reach the 58th percentile in political equality, a category associated with high degrees of overall gender equality. A nonlinear relationship between composite gender equality and Olympic success is found, with 71% of complete equality maximizing weighted medal shares and further increases in equality lowering success, all else equal.