Adeline Delavande, University of Technology Sydney - The Malleability of Competitiveness

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  • Melbourne Institute Seminar



Title: The Malleability of Competitiveness

Abstract: Women earn lower wages than men for doing similar work. A partial explanation for this may be that women have lower willingness to compete. We know little about the origin of the documented gender gap in competitiveness and the malleability of this preference. We use panel data on preferences for competition in a setting with quasi-random assignment to flatmates and find that (i) these preferences are malleable; (ii) competitiveness responds to naturally occurring variation in their living environment; and (iii) that higher competitiveness is associated with better academic outcomes and higher post-graduation life satisfaction.

Presenter: Adeline Delavande, University of Technology Sydney

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