Gender differences in risk aversion and ambiguity aversion

Arbeitspapier

This paper demonstrates gender differences in risk aversion and ambiguity aversion. It also contributes to a growing literature relating economic preference parameters to psychological measures by asking whether variations in preference parameters among persons, and in particular across genders, can be accounted for by differences in personality traits and traits of cognition. Women are more risk averse than men. Over an initial range, women require no further compensation for the introduction of ambiguity but men do. At greater levels of ambiguity, women have the same marginal distaste for increased ambiguity as men. Psychological variables account for some of the interpersonal variation in risk aversion. They explain none of the differences in ambiguity.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 3985

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty: General
• Subject: Gender ; risk aversion ; ambiguity aversion ; Risikopräferenz ; Risikoaversion ; Geschlecht ; Entscheidung bei Unsicherheit ; Persönlichkeitspsychologie ; Kognition ; Test ; Theorie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Borghans, Lex ; Golsteyn, Bart H. H. ; Heckman, James Joseph ; Meijers, Huub
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/35728
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2009021695
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET