Abstract:
Are gender differences in competitiveness partly due to culture? Previous studies have tried to answer this question by comparing outcomes in a small set of different areas. While some experimental studies have found that more gender equal places have lower or reversed gender gaps, other studies find gender differences in gender equal places and no gender differences in less gender equal places. Comparing people in different areas does not, however, answer the question on the importance of culture in a satisfying way as cultural differences are intimately linked to institutional differences. In a pre-registered competition experiment with a large sample of Norwegian born individuals we find that the gender gap in willingness to compete is lower for individuals with parents born in a more gender equal countries.