Keana Richards
Human Behavior and Origins (HBO) Lab
Department of Psychology
University of Pennsylvania

Gender, preparation, and competitiveness

In search of a way to reduce horizontal and vertical gender gaps in the United States, researchers have started to focus on gender differences in psychological attributes. For instance, there is robust evidence that women are less willing than men to enter competitions with a tournament wage scheme, even when they are likely to win and would maximize their payoffs by doing so. Instead, many women prefer piece-rate wage schemes where performance is based exclusively on individual output. Since confidence has been shown to partly explain gender differences in competitiveness, increasing women’s confidence serves as a viable route to decreasing gender differences in competitiveness. This line of work focuses on the interrelations between competitive environments, confidence, and preparation, which are expected to be moderated by one’s gender. For the current presentation, I’m seeking feedback on a series of studies I will submit to the National Science Foundation Graduate Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant.

The presentation will begin at 12:00pm. Food and drinks will be provided.