Gender differences in honesty: The role of social value orientation

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in EconStor may University of Mannheim, University of Göttingen March 2017Abstract This paper experimentally analyzes the determinants of the honesty norm in a lying game. The findings confirm common gender differences, i.e., men cheat significantly more than women. We detect a novel correlation between subjects' magnitude of concern they have for others (social value orientation) and their moral valuation of the norm honesty. The data suggest that individualistic subjects are less honest than prosocial ones. Interestingly, this difference can explain the gender differences we observe. First, we find that the distribution of social value orientation differs between gender, i.e., significantly more male subjects are characterized as individualistic subjects. Second, once we control for social value orientation the gender differential disappears. JEL Classification numbers: C91, H26, J16.

Unethical Behavior and Group Identity in Contests

“…Finally, selfishness, as measured by a lower SVO angle in the SVO test, and being a male tend to increase the likelihood and the intensity of misreporting, which is consistent with the previous literature (see, e.g., Dreber and Johannesson, 2008;Nieken and Dato, 2016;Muehlheusser et al, 2015, on gender;and Grosch and Rau, 2017, on pro-sociality and gender). However, the effect of gender is never significant in the Self-condition.…”

I Might Be a Liar, but Not a Thief: An Experimental Distinction between the Moral Costs of Lying and Stealing

“…280 A further comparison of our results can be made regarding the gender difference in lying and 281 stealing. As we did not find evidence for a statistically significant gender difference for the 282 amount of lying, we contradict findings of other researchers (Fosgaard, Hansen, & Piovesan, 283 2013;Grosch & Rau, 2017;Houser et al, 2012;Kajackaite & Gneezy, 2017). Nevertheless, 284 the gender difference in honesty is a matter of discussion, as there are also studies that reject-285 ed the hypothesis of gender differences (Childs, 2012;Gylfason et al, 2013;Kajackaite 286 & Gneezy, 2017).…”

“…Gender differences regarding the intrinsic costs of immoral behavior are 68 a matter of discussion in the literature (Childs, 2012;Grosch & Rau, 2017). Results regarding 69 a potential effect of gender on lying (Childs, 2012;Grosch & Rau, 2017;Gylfason, Arnardot-70 tir, & Kristinsson, 2013;Houser et al, 2012;Kajackaite & Gneezy, 2017) as well as stealing 71 (Friesen & Gangadharan, 2013;Gravert, 2013) are ambiguous. Thus, we shed light on gen-72 der-specific costs of immoral behavior in three fields: lying, stealing and distinctions between 73 lying and stealing.…”

Gender, Social Value Orientation, and Tax Compliance

“…But, unfortunately, the literature doesn't seem to provide answer to why this may be. Grosch and Rau (2017) suggest that gender differences in honesty are at least somewhat due to higher levels of prosociality in women. Though tax compliance is related to honesty, it encompasses a number of other motivations as well, such as cooperation, and therefore, it is not exactly the same.…”

“…First from Table 1, we can see that there are significant differences between men and women in their levels of self-reported risk aversion, as well men are much more likely to study economics. Table 1 in the Appendix reproduces the original table from Grosch and Rau (2017). On the left hand-side column, we run OLS regressions examining the effects of gender on the compliance rate.…”