Are women less competitive than men, missing out on top roles and higher pay? A rigorous new study suggests it's not so simple. Researchers found women enter competitions at the same rate as men—when they can share winnings with lower performers.
The study comes from Mary L. Rigdon, associate director of the University of Arizona's Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, and Alessandra Cassar, professor of economics at the University of San Francisco.
Rigdon's two decades of research explore how market structures, information, and incentives drive behavior, including trust, reciprocity, competition, altruism, cheating, and gender differences—especially the persistent gender pay gap.
The duo tested the popular theory that women are less competitive and risk-averse than men.
"If women truly avoided competition, we'd see far fewer in senior roles, but that's not the case," Rigdon notes. Women now hold about 8% of Fortune 500 CEO positions—an all-time high, though still low.
“We suspected women are just as competitive as men but express it differently," Rigdon said. “This reframes the entire story of the gender pay gap.”
Rigdon and Cassar recruited 238 participants, evenly split by gender, dividing them into two groups and then subgroups of four.
Round one was identical for all: Participants scanned tables of 12 three-digit numbers (with decimals) to find pairs summing to 10, solving up to 20 in two minutes. Each earned $2 per solved table.
In round two, incentives diverged. One group used a winner-take-all format: the top two in each foursome earned $4 per table; others got nothing. The other group mirrored this, but winners could share with one loser.
Round three let everyone choose: Half picked between a safe $2 per table or risky $4 (top two only). The other half chose $2 safe or $4 with sharing option.
Women's participation in competitive rounds nearly doubled with sharing allowed—60% opted in, versus 35% for winner-take-all.
Men showed little difference: 51% chose winner-take-all, 52.5% the sharing version.
Rigdon and Cassar propose women may prefer controlling reward distribution or easing losers' disappointment.
Evolutionary psychologists suggest women might mitigate negative emotions post-competition.
“What social incentives motivate women to compete? It likely ties to biological and cultural factors," Rigdon said. “The question remains open.”
