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Gender and preferences at a young age: Evidence from Armenia

Khachatryan, Karen ; Dreber, Anna ; von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva LU (2015) In Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 118. p.318-332
Abstract
We look at gender differences in competitiveness, risk preferences and altruism in a large sample of children and adolescents aged 7–16 in Armenia. Post-Soviet Armenia has few formal barriers to gender equality but is also characterized by a patrilineal kinship system and traditional gender roles. In contrast to research conducted in Western countries, we find that girls increase their performance more than boys in response to competition in a running task. We find no gender differences in the other three tasks we explore: skipping rope, a mathematical task, and a verbal task. We also find no difference in the willingness to compete in either the mathematical or the verbal task. In line with previous research, we find that boys are less... (More)
We look at gender differences in competitiveness, risk preferences and altruism in a large sample of children and adolescents aged 7–16 in Armenia. Post-Soviet Armenia has few formal barriers to gender equality but is also characterized by a patrilineal kinship system and traditional gender roles. In contrast to research conducted in Western countries, we find that girls increase their performance more than boys in response to competition in a running task. We find no gender differences in the other three tasks we explore: skipping rope, a mathematical task, and a verbal task. We also find no difference in the willingness to compete in either the mathematical or the verbal task. In line with previous research, we find that boys are less altruistic and more risk taking than girls, and that the latter gap appears around the age of puberty. (Less)
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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Competitiveness, Risk preferences, Altruism, Children, Gender differences, Experiment, C91, D03, J16
in
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
volume
118
pages
318 - 332
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84946185660
ISSN
0167-2681
DOI
10.1016/j.jebo.2015.02.021
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
673481a6-a6dd-4926-a4a0-24abe00a62de
date added to LUP
2025-09-04 11:01:54
date last changed
2025-10-14 08:56:31
@article{673481a6-a6dd-4926-a4a0-24abe00a62de,
  abstract     = {{We look at gender differences in competitiveness, risk preferences and altruism in a large sample of children and adolescents aged 7–16 in Armenia. Post-Soviet Armenia has few formal barriers to gender equality but is also characterized by a patrilineal kinship system and traditional gender roles. In contrast to research conducted in Western countries, we find that girls increase their performance more than boys in response to competition in a running task. We find no gender differences in the other three tasks we explore: skipping rope, a mathematical task, and a verbal task. We also find no difference in the willingness to compete in either the mathematical or the verbal task. In line with previous research, we find that boys are less altruistic and more risk taking than girls, and that the latter gap appears around the age of puberty.}},
  author       = {{Khachatryan, Karen and Dreber, Anna and von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva}},
  issn         = {{0167-2681}},
  keywords     = {{Competitiveness; Risk preferences; Altruism; Children; Gender differences; Experiment; C91; D03; J16}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  pages        = {{318--332}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization}},
  title        = {{Gender and preferences at a young age: Evidence from Armenia}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2015.02.021}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jebo.2015.02.021}},
  volume       = {{118}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}