Essays in Behavioral Economics, Gender and Employment

Abstract

This dissertation examines the factors underlying gender disparities in the workplace, alongside potential interventions. Chapter 1 theorizes that the stereotype of women being relatively risk-averse may be overstated by researchers’ propensity to measure risk preferences in male-dominated decision contexts. Through laboratory experiments and an archival study of Jeopardy! contestants, we show women are less risk-averse in more gender-congruent decision contexts. Chapter 2 assesses one proposed intervention for reducing gender discrimination in hiring: masked applications. Using a dataset of job applications, interview questions and responses, I find that the percentage of female employees reviewing a job application was positively correlated with higher ratings for female applicants, and to a lesser extent, male applicants and male reviewers. In exploring potential mechanisms for this effect, I find detectable gender differences in how applicants express themselves. For female applicants, but not for male applicants, the gender stereotypicality of a job was correlated with the use of ambitious and affective language. Finally, Chapter 3 examines the willingness to pay and relative frequency of employers to obtain information about applicants. Through an online game, I find through an online game that participants with real-world hiring experience demonstrably relied on a highly correlated proxy for performance. Yet, even with this proxy available, some participants continued to purchase additional information about applicants, including demographic characteristics relevant to United States antidiscrimination law.