Can Risk-taking Preferences be Modified? Some Experimental Evidence

We summarize our two sets of controlled experiments designed to see whether single-sex classes within co-educational environments modify students' risk-taking attitudes. In Booth and Nolen (2012b), subjects are in school years 10 and 11, while in Booth et al. (2014), they are first-year univers...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CESifo economic studies 2015-03, Vol.61 (1), p.7-32
Main Authors: Booth, Alison L, Nolen, Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
College students
Comparative analysis
Gender differentiation
Gender studies
Risk management
Schools
Single sex education
Students
Uncertainty
Western Europe
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Summary:We summarize our two sets of controlled experiments designed to see whether single-sex classes within co-educational environments modify students' risk-taking attitudes. In Booth and Nolen (2012b), subjects are in school years 10 and 11, while in Booth et al. (2014), they are first-year university students randomly assigned to single-sex and co-educational classes. Both studies show that while on average females are significantly less likely than men to make risky choices, on exposure to single-sex environments they behave the same as the males. Thus, part of the observed gender difference in behaviour under uncertainty found in previous studies might reflect social learning rather than inherent gender traits.
ISSN:1610-241X
1612-7501
DOI:10.1093/cesifo/ifu018