Gender differences in social preferences: experimental evidence

Abstract

This thesis sheds light on the relevance of gender differences that are consistently found on economic experiments under diverse contexts. Gender (here understood as biological sex) is a crucial element determining individuals’ behaviour, but there are other factors such as preferences driving the gender difference. These should always be considered and examined. Additionally, we prove it is not only my gender that influences my decisions, but also the gender of the others. In this sense, presenting subjects with a social cue about the gender of their opponent affects individual decisions. Finally, feeling observed by others leads to a reduction of antisocial behaviour and, also in this case, both the gender of the observer and the gender of the decision maker determine behaviour. The evidence obtained in this thesis can be applied to real-world situations presented in our daily lifes, related to any type of prosocial or antisocial decision framing.