Although women have made huge strides in catching up with men in the workplace, a gender gap persists in both wages and levels of advancement. The reasons for these differences are poorly understood. One hypothesis is that women's preferences for engaging in competition and attitudes toward risk have a biological or natural root. If so, the outcomes of these differences in preferences may be hard to eliminate. However, recent research has shown that the gender gap in preferences for competition, in particular, is correlated with cultural institutions particularly the way boys and girls are raised. This suggests an altogether different explanation for the observed gender gaps: girls observe and are taught patterns of behavior that lead them to behave differently from boys when they grow up. Previous research with the Maasai in Tanzania and the Khasi in India suggest that matrilineal inheritance (inheritance to girls, not boys) and matrilocal marriage (men leave their home to join the household of their wife) lead women to be more competitive. The current project aims to further our understanding of the link between culture and the gender gap in preferences for competition by examining preferences for competition across eight cultures in Malawi that differ in the strength and history of matriliny and matrilocal customs. By comparing preferences across cultural institutions in the same country and for households that engage in similar activities the research project can better isolate the link between culture and preferences.
In addition, this study will examine the implications of these cultural differences on the lives of men and women and in particular, the way these cultures choose to invest in the human capital (education and health) of their children, both boys and girls. The research on workplace outcomes in developed countries suggests that preferences for competition can lead to different outcomes in adults and this study will examine the evidence for links between cultural institutions (such as matriliny) and outcomes like education levels in adults.
