Mitigating the Gender Gap in the Willingness to Compete: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

Abstract We evaluate the impact on competitiveness of a randomized educational intervention that aims to foster grit, a skill that is highly predictive of achievement. The intervention is implemented in elementary schools, and we measure its impact using a dynamic competition task with interim perfo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the European Economic Association 2019-08, Vol.17 (4), p.1147-1185
Main Authors: Alan, Sule, Ertac, Seda
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Abstract We evaluate the impact on competitiveness of a randomized educational intervention that aims to foster grit, a skill that is highly predictive of achievement. The intervention is implemented in elementary schools, and we measure its impact using a dynamic competition task with interim performance feedback. We find that when children are exposed to a worldview that emphasizes the role of effort in achievement and encourages perseverance, the gender gap in the willingness to compete disappears. We show that the elimination of this gap implies significant efficiency gains. We also provide suggestive evidence on a plausible causal mechanism that runs through the positive impact of enhanced grit on girls' optimism about their future performance.
ISSN:1542-4766
1542-4774
DOI:10.1093/jeea/jvy036