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Gender differences in competitiveness and risk taking: Comparing children in Colombia and Sweden

Cardenas, Juan-Camilo ; Dreber, Anna ; von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva LU (2012) In Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 83(1). p.11-23
Abstract
We explore gender differences in preferences for competition and risk among children aged 9–12 in Colombia and Sweden, two countries differing in gender equality according to macro indices. We include four types of tasks that vary in gender stereotyping when looking at competitiveness: running, skipping rope, math and word search. We find that boys and girls are equally competitive in all tasks and all measures in Colombia. Unlike the consistent results in Colombia, the results in Sweden are mixed, with some indication of girls being more competitive than boys in some tasks in terms of performance change, whereas boys are more likely to choose to compete in general. Boys in both countries are more risk taking than girls, with a smaller... (More)
We explore gender differences in preferences for competition and risk among children aged 9–12 in Colombia and Sweden, two countries differing in gender equality according to macro indices. We include four types of tasks that vary in gender stereotyping when looking at competitiveness: running, skipping rope, math and word search. We find that boys and girls are equally competitive in all tasks and all measures in Colombia. Unlike the consistent results in Colombia, the results in Sweden are mixed, with some indication of girls being more competitive than boys in some tasks in terms of performance change, whereas boys are more likely to choose to compete in general. Boys in both countries are more risk taking than girls, with a smaller gender gap in Sweden. (Less)
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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
volume
83
issue
1
pages
11 - 23
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84862517635
ISSN
0167-2681
DOI
10.1016/j.jebo.2011.06.008
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
926976d6-34ba-4a9f-8c2b-20ced4163aee
date added to LUP
2025-09-04 11:17:35
date last changed
2025-09-05 04:02:18
@article{926976d6-34ba-4a9f-8c2b-20ced4163aee,
  abstract     = {{We explore gender differences in preferences for competition and risk among children aged 9–12 in Colombia and Sweden, two countries differing in gender equality according to macro indices. We include four types of tasks that vary in gender stereotyping when looking at competitiveness: running, skipping rope, math and word search. We find that boys and girls are equally competitive in all tasks and all measures in Colombia. Unlike the consistent results in Colombia, the results in Sweden are mixed, with some indication of girls being more competitive than boys in some tasks in terms of performance change, whereas boys are more likely to choose to compete in general. Boys in both countries are more risk taking than girls, with a smaller gender gap in Sweden.}},
  author       = {{Cardenas, Juan-Camilo and Dreber, Anna and von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva}},
  issn         = {{0167-2681}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{11--23}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization}},
  title        = {{Gender differences in competitiveness and risk taking: Comparing children in Colombia and Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2011.06.008}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jebo.2011.06.008}},
  volume       = {{83}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}