Jan Feld, Victoria University of Wellington - On the Universality of Sex-Differences in Risk Attitudes

Title: On the Universality of Sex-Differences in Risk Attitudes

Abstract: Sex-differences in risk attitudes are often treated as universal. I test whether this treatment is justified by analyzing 64 measures of risk attitudes which cover over 525,000 people in 120 countries. I analyze my rich dataset using meta-analysis methods. These methods allow me to correct for sampling error and estimate the percentage of countries in which men are more willing to take risks. My results suggest that sex-differences in risk attitudes are not universal but depend on the measure used. According to general self-assessment questions and lotteries in the gain domain, men appear to be more willing to take risks in nearly all countries. However, according to risk measures in the loss domain, there are no clear sex differences in risk attitudes. I also see larger sex-differences in rich and gender-equal countries. My results suggest that the academic literature leads to a distorted picture, because it disproportionately relies on measures and samples in which sex-differences in risk attitudes bigger and more consistent.

Presenter: Jan Feld, Victoria University of Wellington

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