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Gender differences in dictator giving: A high-power laboratory test.
Iván Barreda-Tarrazona1, Ainhoa Jaramillo-Gutiérrez1, Marina Pavan1
1Laboratory for Experimental Economics & Economics Department, Jaume I University, Castellón de la Plana, Castellón, Spain.
Plos One
|February 12, 2025
Summary
Women are more altruistic than men, transferring 40% more of their endowment in a dictator game. This gender difference in giving is influenced by reasoning, personality, and emotions.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Altruism and generosity are key aspects of social behavior.
- Understanding gender differences in economic decision-making is crucial.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results on gender and altruism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gender differences in altruism.
- To examine the mediating roles of cognitive ability, personality, and emotions in these differences.
- To control for confounding factors in the analysis of dictator game giving.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a dual-role dictator game with 1,161 subjects.
- Controlled for age, cognitive ability, personality traits, self-reported emotions, and response time.
- Employed statistical analysis to determine the significance and mediation of gender differences.
Main Results:
- Females transferred 7.5 percentage points (approximately 40%) more of their endowment than males, on average.
- Significant gender differences in giving were observed even after controlling for covariates.
- Reasoning ability, personality traits, and emotions were found to mediate gender differences in altruistic behavior.
Conclusions:
- Women exhibit significantly greater generosity than men in the dictator game.
- Cognitive, personality, and emotional factors play a crucial role in explaining gender disparities in altruism.
- The study provides robust evidence for gender differences in economic decision-making, highlighting the importance of psychological and cognitive factors.
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