Which is the Fair Sex? Gender Differences in Altruism
The Quarterly Journal of Economics
Short Title:
The Quarterly Journal of EconomicsWhich is the Fair Sex?
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
2001/02/01/
Pages:
293 - 312
Sources ID:
48231
Collection:
Altruism
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
We study gender differences in altruism by examining a modified dictator game with varying incomes and prices. Our results indicate that the question “which is the fair sex?” has a complicated answer—when altruism is expensive, women are kinder, but when it is cheap, men are more altruistic. That is, we find that the male and female “demand curves for altruism” cross, and that men are more responsive to price changes. Furthermore, men are more likely to be either perfectly selfish or perfectly selfless, whereas women tend to be “equalitarians” who prefer to share evenly.