The impact of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on competitiveness

Abstract

a b s t r a c tWe examine whether competitiveness in women is influenced by biological factors. Female participants in a laboratory experiment solve a simple arithmetics task first under a piece rate and then under a competitive tournament scheme. Participants can then choose which compensation scheme to apply in a third round. We find that the likelihood of selecting into the competitive environment varies strongly and significantly over the menstrual cycle and with the intake of hormonal contraceptives. The observed patterns are consistent with a negative impact of the sex hormone progesterone on competitiveness. We show that the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on competitiveness is due neither to an impact on performance, nor to an impact on risk aversion or overconfidence.

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

“…Only females taking hormonal contraceptives were included in the analysis because the menstrual cycle is known to affect the cortisol response to stress (Kirschbaum et al 1999) and may also influence competitiveness (Buser 2012 ;Wozniak et al 2014). To avoid confounding influences we therefore decided to include only women using hormonal contraceptives.…”

Hormonal Contraceptives Do Not Impact Economic Preferences: Evidence from a Randomized Trial

“…Some previous studies have found hormonal variation over the menstrual cycle to relate to risk taking (Bröder andHohmann 2003, Chavanne andGallup 1998; see also Buser 2012b and Schipper 2014 for null results), competitiveness (Buser 2012b, Wozniak et al 2014, behavior in social preference games (Buser 2012a), loss aversion (Lazzaro et al 2016), and competitive bidding (Pearson andSchipper 2013, Schipper 2015). Taken together, this literature suggests that hormones associated with fertility and reproduction, like those in OCs, may affect important economic preferences.…”

“…Taken together, this literature suggests that hormones associated with fertility and reproduction, like those in OCs, may affect important economic preferences. That OCs may impact preferences is further supported by studies comparing the preferences among naturally cycling women, to those of women using OCs (Chavanne and Gallup 1998, Buser 2012b, Chen et al 2013, Pearson and Schipper 2013, Wozniak et al 2014, although these studies do not establish a causal relationship.…”

“…Two recent nonrandomized studies find that OC intake affects competitiveness, measured as the willingness to compete by choosing a tournament payment scheme over a piecerate scheme. Using self-reported data on cycle phase and OC use in a sample of 107 (53 OC users) women, Buser (2012b) finds that women are less competitive during the 21-day intake period of combined OCs, with constant daily doses of synthetic estrogen and progestin, compared with the seven-day break without OCs. In a sample of 109 women with self-reported cycle data (with about 54% on some type of hormonal contraceptive), Wozniak et al (2014) find the opposite result, that is, that women are more willing to compete in the active phase of the OC treatment.…”

Older sisters and younger brothers: The impact of siblings on preference for competition

“…8 There is also evidence that suggests that having same-sex instructors in introductory math or science courses encourages women to major in math or engineering (Carrell et al, 2010), indicating that having a same-sex role model is an environmental factor that could induce women to make choices that they otherwise would not. This paper designed a laboratory experiment to determine whether the gender gap in preference for competition arises from another environmental factor, namely familial 7 'By-nature' studies reported that gender differences in competitive attitudes are influenced by the fluctuation of sex hormones (Buser, 2012;Wozniak et al, 2014;Guéguen, 2012;Dreber and Hoffman, 2007;Archer, 2006;Hoffman and Gneezy, 2010). Prenatal exposure to male sex hormones is also known to predict long-term profitability in financial traders in the City of London (Coates et al, 2009) and performance in sports, such as rankings for sumo-wrestlers (Tamiya et al, 2012).…”