J. Brownkruse et D. Hummels, GENDER EFFECTS IN LABORATORY PUBLIC-GOODS CONTRIBUTION - DO INDIVIDUALS PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS, Journal of economic behavior & organization, 22(3), 1993, pp. 255-267
Recent work by Carol Gilligan posits that females are more cooperative
and community minded than males. We use a series of laboratory experi
ments to test for gender effects in individual contribution rates to a
public good. Each member of a same sex group of four was given the op
portunity to contribute his/her endowment to a group fund for a series
of six rounds. We test for gender effects in contribution rates with
a high and low group fund multiplier and with and without preplay inte
raction. We found significant gender, group fund multiplier and period
effects and interaction between the preplay communication and the mul
tiplier. Counter to Gilligan's hypothesis, males contributed at higher
rates than females.