Gender Differences in Competition: Evidence\\ From a Matrilineal and a Patriarchal Society

Abstract

We use a controlled experiment to explore whether there are gender differences in selecting into competitive environments across two distinct societies: the Maasai in Tanzania and the Khasi in India. One unique aspect of these societies is that the Maasai represent a textbook example of a patriarchal society, whereas the Khasi are matrilineal. Similar to the extant evidence drawn from experiments executed in Western cultures, Maasai men opt to compete at roughly twice the rate as Maasai women. Interestingly, this result is reversed among the Khasi, where women choose the competitive environment more often than Khasi men, and even choose to compete weakly more often than Maasai men. These results provide insights into the underpinnings of the factors hypothesized to be determinants of the observed gender differences in selecting into competitive environments.

Ethnobotanical survey of food and medicinal plants of the Ilkisonko Maasai community in Kenya

“…Although our initial intent was to obtain information from both gender, only men participated in the study. This could be due to the patriarchal nature of the Maasai where the male elders speak on behalf of the community (Gneezy et al, 2009). A majority of the interviewees (90%) were pastoralists while 77% of the respondents had no formal education ( Figure 3).…”

How stressful are economic competitions in the lab? An investigation with physiological measures

“…There is growing evidence that cultural as well as biological factors affect individual preferences regarding competitiveness (e.g., Gneezy et al 2009;Müller and Schwieren 2012;Schipper 2015;Wozniak et al 2014). Based on our exploratory results, we suggest that the way in which someone reacts physiologically to competition may influence his/her propensity to self-select into competitive environments such as, e.g., highly competitive jobs.…”

Food Vending Among Men in Kumasi: Socio-Cultural Advantages, Constraints, and Coping Strategies

“…Here, this study re-emphasises the prominence of gendered patriarchal values over matrilineal ideals, the assertion that gendered attitudes emerging out of patriarchy often transcend lineage type (Ampofo, 2001). Even though some women, including queen mothers, traders and market women in matrilineal societies occupy prominent positions and enjoy economic and political advantages compared to women in other African settings (Boaten, 1992;Gneezy et al, 2009), findings from this research further questions the extent of female economic advantages and competitiveness within urban and modernizing matrilineal social settings such as Kumasi. As a result of cultural expectations, choosing to vend TFs mean a compromise of what it means to be a "man" in Kumasi since being a man means getting out of the house and engaging in economic activities that demonstrate "virility and wisdom" (Dako-Gyeke & Owusu, 2013).…”