Gender and Redistribution: Experimental Evidence

Arbeitspapier

Gender differences in voting patterns and political attitudes towards redistribution are well-documented. The experimental gender literature suggests several plausible behavioral explanations behind these differences, relating to gender differences in confidence concerning future relative income position, risk aversion, and social preferences. We use data from lab experiments on preferences for redistribution conducted in the U.S. and several European countries to disentangle these potential mechanisms. We find that when choosing to redistribute income as a disinterested observer, women choose higher tax rates than men when initial income depends on performance in a task but not when it is randomly allocated. In a veil of ignorance condition with uncertainty about the income position of the decision maker, this effect is even stronger, leading to a 10ppt gender difference in average chosen tax rates in the performance conditions. We find that this gender difference is mainly due to men being more (over)confident about their task performance and the resulting income position, with gender differences in risk aversion and social preferences playing a minor role.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper ; No. 16-063/I

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies; includes inheritance and gift taxes ; Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
• Subject: gender ; redistribution ; overconfidence ; risk attitudes ; voting ; taxation

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Buser, Thomas ; Putterman, Louis ; van der Weele, Joël
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Tinbergen Institute
• (where): Amsterdam and Rotterdam
• (when): 2016

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/145370
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET