This website uses cookies.

By clicking the "Accept" button or continuing to browse our site, you agree to first-party and session-only cookies being stored on your device to enhance site navigation and analyze site performance and traffic. For more information on our use of cookies, please see our Privacy Policy.

  1. Home
  2. ASSA Annual Meeting
  3. 2024
  4. Program
  5. Non-wage Gender Disparities
« Back to Results

Non-wage Gender Disparities

Paper Session

Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (CST)

Grand Hyatt, Bonham C
Hosted By: American Economic Association
  • Chair: Danila Serra, Texas A&M University

A Kick Or A Start? Gender Disparity Evidence Of Winning A Kickstarter On Future Funding

Sahil Patil
,
Washington State University

Abstract

The gender disparity in the ability of entrepreneurs to raise funding for their startups has been a central question in the Entrepreneurial Finance literature. While most studies have focused on debt and angel financing, this paper explores gender-based discrimination in online crowdfunding, which has become one of the primary methods for “new” entrepreneurs to acquire financial support. Additionally, it also identifies the causal effect of acquiring funding on future outcomes for entrepreneurs. Using data from Kickstarter, the research investigates the effect of successfully completing the first online crowdfunding campaign on an entrepreneur's ability to raise funding in the future. The analysis employs a regression discontinuity design to address the issue of non-random assignment of campaigns ran by entrepreneurs by comparing those that just fail to receive funding versus those that just complete their first campaign.

According to my findings, successfully completing the first Kickstarter campaign results in a substantial increase of $2,858 (equivalent to a 76% increase compared to the mean) in future funding. However, for female entrepreneurs, successfully completing their first project yields a comparatively smaller increase of $1,251 in raising funds via crowdfunding, as opposed to their female counterparts who fail to finish their campaigns. In contrast, male entrepreneurs observe a greater increase of $1,775 in raising capital. In conclusion, the study suggests that although online crowdfunding can serve as an effective capital-raising tool for female entrepreneurs, gender disparities persist.

This paper adds to the literature on the determinants of successful entrepreneurs and highlights the need for further research to understand and address gender disparities in entrepreneurship. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in promoting gender equality and supporting female-led startups.

Better Together? Faculty, Gender Match, and Credit in Science

Aiday Sikhova
,
Ohio State University
Enrico Berkes
,
Ohio State University
Bruce Weinberg
,
Ohio State University

Abstract

Gender representation has gained recognition in recent years for its crucial role in promoting equitable outcomes for women in science. A gender-diverse academic environment, for instance, has been linked to a range of benefits, including reducing discrimination, fostering inclusivity, and promoting diverse perspectives that contribute to innovation and comprehensive research. Despite this increased awareness, however, little is known about the effects of gender representation on credit attribution in science.
This paper seeks to address this gap by examining the impact of gender representation in leadership on credit received by senior female researchers, specifically female faculty, in the biomedical sciences. Using the longitudinal UMETRICS dataset, which contains information on researchers and the time they allocate to projects, as well as data on the principal investigators (PIs) that lead them, we make several key findings. First, we demonstrate that teams with a higher proportion of women PIs tend to have a greater share of women researchers in their teams. Second, using researcher and paper/team fixed effects to identify plausibly causal estimates, we show that teams with a higher share of women PIs give significantly more credit, in the form of paper authorship, to senior women who work on those teams. Third, we demonstrate that the effects are significantly more pronounced in male-dominated fields, highlighting the importance of creating supportive environments for credit attribution. Finally, we show that prominent senior female researchers, i.e., those who were more productive prior to joining research teams, benefit significantly more from having female PIs. As such, we show that although having a greater share of women PIs does tend to improve outcomes of senior women in their teams and, as a result, narrow the gap in the number of authored papers between female and male researchers, it also tends to widen the authorship gap within female researchers.

Market Reactions to Gendered Speech Patterns: Uptalk, Earnings Calls, and the #MeToo Movement

Anant Krishna Divakaruni
,
University of Bergen
Laura Fritsch
,
University of Oxford
Howard Jones
,
University of Oxford
Alan D. Morrison
,
University of Oxford

Abstract

Information is revealed by how people speak, as well as by what they say. Using audio recordings, we study uptalk (rising intonation) by executives in earnings calls. Unexpected uptalk by female, but not male, executives predicts lower earnings. Analysts respond to female uptalk with lower recommendations and earnings forecasts, and bid-ask spreads widen when female executives speak and use uptalk. These results are consistent with sociolinguistic studies which find that uptalk is a female-typed characteristic that signals uncertainty. #MeToo did not alter the market response to female uptalk, but it engendered a favorable response to male uptalk.

Effects of Political Leaders' Speech on Violence Against Women

Roberto Mosquera
,
University of the Americas
Mikaella Herrera
,
University of the Americas

Abstract

Political leaders are high-profile individuals who influence large groups of sympathizers. This paper studies the unintended effects of a political leader's speech on violence. Specifically, it examines the effects of the derogatory treatment of women by former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa during his TV and radio program, Enlace Ciudadano. We have access to administrative data from Ecuador's 911 Integrated Security Service to estimate the impact of Enlace Ciudadano when hosted by President Correa on reported violence against women. We found a 2.6 to 5 percent increase in such crimes on Saturdays when Correa hosted the show. These estimates are robust to different specifications and two falsification tests. We provide additional evidence suggesting that the President's derogatory speech may have increased cultural acceptance of violence against women and shifted social norms regarding violence against women. The program increases the salience of new norms that validate violence against women, ultimately resulting in increased violence. These results underscore the challenges policymakers face in countering the lasting impact of such rhetoric on societal attitudes and the potential harm to vulnerable groups.

Performance Gains from Gender Match in Higher Education: Evidence from a Setting with Entrenched Gender Stereotypes

Md Amzad Hossain
,
University of Arkansas

Abstract

Worldwide, women are severely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, particularly in developing countries. While earlier research has identified a range of factors, such as societal norms and stereotypes, that contribute to the gender gaps in STEM, the consequences of the under-representation of female teachers at the college level in STEM education have been less studied. This study sheds light on whether female college students in a male-dominated STEM course such as economics benefit academically from being taught by female instructors in a setting where gender stereotypes are an entrenched social phenomenon. I use a novel and confidential administrative dataset from a highly rated economics program in Bangladesh to show that when matched with female teachers, female students gain in terms of grade performance and longer-term outcomes such as degree completion time and the likelihood of enrolling in an economics master's program. Importantly, these gains to female students come at no cost to male students. The quasi-random allocation of students to mandatory courses, where students can select neither courses nor instructors, alleviates the self-selection concerns. Comparing the test scores of blindly and non-blindly graded exams for the same course, I rule out the explanation whereby the gain from gender matching is driven by gender preference in teachers' assessment. I find that the benefit of matching increases with female teachers' rank, experience, and academic qualifications. Using the testable predictions of the theoretical models from the literature, I show suggestive evidence that female teachers' effectiveness in teaching female students is an important channel, aside from the frequently cited role model effect, through which same-sex teacher assignments improve female students' academic achievements.
JEL Classifications
  • J1 - Demographic Economics