Understanding Gender Differences in Leadership

Sule Alan,Elif Kubilay,Gyongyi Loranth,Seda Ertac

doi:10.1093/ej/uez050

Abstract

Abstract Using data from a large-scale field experiment, we show that while there is no gender difference in willingness to make risky decisions on behalf of a group in a sample of children, a large gap emerges in a sample of adolescents. The proportion of girls who exhibit leadership willingness drops by 39%, going from childhood to adolescence. We explore the possible factors behind this drop and find that it is largely associated with a dramatic decline in ‘social confidence’, measured by willingness to perform a real effort task in public.

Highlights

Background and Experimental DesignFor our main analyses, we use data from two cohorts of students in a number of state-run schools in Istanbul
Using data from a large-scale field experiment, we show that while there is no gender difference in willingness to make risky decisions on behalf of a group in a sample of children, a large gap emerges in a sample of adolescents
Using unique data from a large field experiment that involves a sample of children of average age 10 and a sample of adolescents of average age 13 in Istanbul, Turkey, we explore factors that are associated with leadership willingness and the gender gaps therein

Summary

Introduction

Background and Experimental DesignFor our main analyses, we use data from two cohorts of students in a number of state-run schools in Istanbul. Our sample consists of elementary school students (children sample) who were in 4th grade, and middle school students (adolescent sample) who were in 8th grade at the time of the data collection. The experiments that we conducted for the purpose of this article were carried out in the baseline of this study. We launched another field study that involves adolescents in middle schools, with the conjecture that social pressures that reinforce traditional gender roles may kick in around puberty, when physical changes manifest, and may lead to gender gaps in behaviour (as documented in Andersen et al, 2013, in the context of competitiveness). The average ages of the students are 10 and 13 for the children sample and the adolescent sample, respectively.

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Conclusion