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Publications
Publications
  • June 2021
  • Article
  • Management Science

The Role of Beliefs in Driving Gender Discrimination

By: Katherine B. Coffman, Christine L. Exley and Muriel Niederle
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Abstract

While there is ample evidence of discrimination against women in the workplace, it can be difficult to understand what factors contribute to discriminatory behavior. We use an experiment to both document discrimination and unpack its sources. First, we show that, on average, employers prefer to hire male over female workers for a male-typed task even when the two workers have identical resumes. Second, and most critically, we use a novel control condition to identify that this discrimination is not specific to gender. Employers are simply less willing to hire a worker from a group that performs worse on average, even when this group is instead defined by a non-stereotypical characteristic. In this way, beliefs about average group differences are the key driver of discrimination against women in our setting. We also document some evidence for in-group preferences that contribute to the gender discrimination observed. Finally, our design allows us to understand and quantify the extent to which image concerns mitigate discriminatory behavior.

Keywords

Gender Discrimination; Behavioral Decision Making; Gender; Attitudes; Prejudice and Bias; Economics; Behavior; Decision Making

Citation

Coffman, Katherine B., Christine L. Exley, and Muriel Niederle. "The Role of Beliefs in Driving Gender Discrimination." Management Science 67, no. 6 (June 2021).
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About The Authors

Katherine B. Coffman

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Christine L. Exley

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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More from the Authors

    • March 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Inclusive Innovation at Mass General Brigham

    By: Katherine Coffman and Olivia Hull
    • January 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Negotiating for Equal Pay: The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (A) and (B)

    By: John Beshears and Christine Exley
    • Faculty Research

    A (Dynamic) Investigation of Stereotypes, Belief-Updating, and Behavior

    By: Katherine B. Coffman, Paola Ugalde Araya and Basit Zafar
More from the Authors
  • Inclusive Innovation at Mass General Brigham By: Katherine Coffman and Olivia Hull
  • Negotiating for Equal Pay: The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (A) and (B) By: John Beshears and Christine Exley
  • A (Dynamic) Investigation of Stereotypes, Belief-Updating, and Behavior By: Katherine B. Coffman, Paola Ugalde Araya and Basit Zafar
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