When to Apply?

Katherine  Coffman; Manuela  Collis; Leena  Kulkarni

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

When to Apply?

by Katherine Coffman, Manuela Collis and Leena Kulkarni

Abstract

Labor market outcomes depend, in part, upon an individual’s willingness to put herself forward for different career opportunities. In this paper, we use both laboratory and field experiments to better understand decisions around willingness to apply for higher return, more challenging work, with a focus on gender differences. We find that, in male-typed domains, women are less likely to view themselves as well-qualified for a given opening, both because of differences in forecasts about own ability, but also, and importantly, because of differences in how high men and women believe “the bar” is. We show that these beliefs matter for application decisions. Finally, we provide evidence that a simple intervention, in which required qualifications are stated more precisely and objectively, helps to close the gender gap in willingness to apply, increasing both the average talent and the diversity of the applicant pool.

Keywords: beliefs; Gender; Information; Performance; Labor; Perception; Decision Making;

Language: English

Format: Print

65 pages

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Citation:

Coffman, Katherine, Manuela Collis, and Leena Kulkarni. "When to Apply?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-062, August 2019.

In 2016, members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (WNT) took steps to fight for equal pay relative to the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. Their legal representative declared that the memorandum of understanding governing the relationship between the players and the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) was terminable at will. If a court agreed with this position, the players could threaten to strike in advance of the upcoming Olympics. In addition, five of the top WNT players filed a wage-discrimination complaint against the USSF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This case describes the history of the WNT and the USSF leading up to these events.

In 2016, members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (WNT) took steps to fight for equal pay relative to the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. Their legal representative declared that the memorandum of understanding governing the relationship between the players and the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) was terminable at will. If a court agreed with this position, the players could threaten to strike in advance of the upcoming Olympics. In addition, five of the top WNT players filed a wage-discrimination complaint against the USSF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This case describes the events following from the actions of the WNT players.

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When to Apply?

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