Organizational Behavior Structural drivers of gender differences in careers - the example of STEM
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Project description
The 2023 Nobel Prize in economics laureate Claudia Goldin put the focus again on gender disparities in the workplace. This is particularly pronounced in STEM fields. Existing research in behavioral economics and labor economics primarily focuses on: differences in competitiveness (Niederle and Vesterlund, 2011); selection of fields, like less math-intensive careers (Kahn and Ginther, 2017); gender differences in economic preferences (Croson and Gneezy, 2009); the influence of personal and social factors (Bertrand, 2011); and differences in flexibility demands (Goldin, 2014).
In our own research we can show for STEM students in a recent, ongoing project that gender differences in behavior are very small once we compare only women who are studying STEM subjects to their male counterparts (Llavador, Schwieren, Steck, in prep.). In an older study (Müller & Schwieren, 2012) we show that gender differences in competitiveness relate to specific differences in personality, namely higher neuroticism of women. This relates to a prevalent finding that women score higher on many mental health problems. Different explanations are being put forward in the literature for this fact: discrimination, vulnerability to sexual harassment, and being overburdened with balancing work and family (for a short summary, see Kulkarni, 2017). Gender based violence and discrimination happens more often for women in high-level position and in male-dominated fields (e.g. Leaper & Starr, 2019, on STEM). Going beyond merely including more aspects, but looking at mechanisms by complementing panel survey data with lab-in-the field experiments and qualitative methods in a large cross-cultural sample, allows for substantial progress in the understanding of factors still inhibiting gender equality
Workshops and important dates
While the generally lower numbers of women in STEM education and professions have been a concern for a long time, and numerous studies in various disciplines inform policies aimed at increasing them worldwide, change is slow.
Is it possible that we all overlook essential factors that keep women out of STEM? This is the key question a series of workshops in several countries worldwide aims to address, by bringing together researchers on topics related to gender and STEM, as well as people working in STEM, both in industry and academia.
We invite researchers from all fields who work on topics of relevance for the main theme of the workshop to send an abstract of a maximum of 350 words to
wis-workshop@awi.uni-heidelberg.de
before August 10, 2025. Information about acceptance will be sent out by August 20, 2025.Inaugural workshop:
8th and 9th of October in Heidelberg (Germany), 2025
2nd workshop:
27th to 29th of November in Kyoto (Japan), 2025
Follow-up workshops:
30th of March and 1st of April in Santiago (Chile), 2026
Spring, 2026 in New Delhi (India), 2026
Call for papers
Workshop in Heidelberg
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 10th of August
Date for acceptance of abstracts : 20th August
Workshop in Kyoto
Deadline for submission of abstracts : To be announced soon!
Publications
Explore a curated selection of research articles, papers, and thought pieces that reflect ongoing contributions to STEM and gender economics. These works highlight key insights, innovative findings, and collaborative efforts aimed at advancing knowledge and practice.
- Klonner, S., Pal, S., & Schwieren, C. (2021). Equality of the Sexes and Gender Differences in Competitiveness: Experimental Evidence from a Traditional Society with Gender-Balanced Norms. SSRN Electronic Journal.
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3940199
- Klonner, S., Pal, S., & Schwieren, C. (2020). Equality of the sexes and gender differences in competition: Evidence from three traditional societies. VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics.
https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00027935
- Müller, J., & Schwieren, C. (2011). Can personality explain what is underlying women’s unwillingness to compete? Journal of Economic Psychology, 33(3), 448–460.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2011.12.005
- Günther, C., Ekinci, N. A., Schwieren, C., & Strobel, M. (2010). Women can’t jump?—An experiment on competitive attitudes and stereotype threat. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 75(3), 395–401.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2010.05.003
- Schwieren, C. A. A. (2003). The gender wage gap - due to differences in efficiency wage effects or discrimination? METEOR, Maastricht University School of Business and Economics. METEOR Research Memorandum No. 028
https://doi.org/10.26481/umamet.2003028
- Klonner, S., Pal, S., & Schwieren, C. (2020). Equality of the sexes and gender differences in competition: Evidence from three traditional societies. VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics.
https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00027935
- List of publications
- Editorial: Gender Differentials in Times of COVID-19
- Women can’t jump?—An experiment on competitive attitudes and stereotype threat
- Can personality explain what is underlying women’s unwillingness to compete?
- The gender wage gap-due to differences in efficiency wage effects or discrimination?
- Equality of the sexes and gender differences in competition: Evidence from three traditional societies
- Equality of the Sexes and Gender Differences in Competitiveness: Experimental Evidence from a Traditional Society with Gender-Balanced Norms
- Gender norms and competitiveness: Evidence from the tribes of Northeast India
- Social Norms, Women’s Status and Gender Differences in Competitiveness: Evidence from Field Experiments in India’s Northeast
Funding
This project is made possible by funding through the Funds “Expanding Internationality” of Heidelberg University and “Fondación Dauphine - Women and Science Chair”.
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Contact
For inquiries please drop an email to wis-workshop@awi.uni-heidelberg.de