An Experimental Study on Gender Differences in Leading-by-Example in a Social Dilemma

Sammanfattning: This study examines gender differences in leading-by-example in a social dilemma by the means of an online experiment with 350 UK participants recruited via Prolific Academic. A three-player sequential (leader-follower) public goods game is used to represent the social dilemma and gender differences in behavior related to the role of gender beliefs and the gender group composition are examined to investigate whether male or female leaders are better cooperative role models under free-riding incentives and thus more successful in crowding in. It is relevant for effectively organizing group interactions in situations where individual and group outcomes are in conflict. Using a mixed-design all participants are exposed to three gender group compositions: male-dominated groups, female-dominated groups and all-male or all-female groups. Participants play both roles (leader and follower) in all groups. Leaders' beliefs about followers' contributions are elicited to map to what extent unconditional leader contributions are related to the perceived cooperativeness of followers. The results indicate that there are no statistically significant gender differences in preferences for leading-by-example and in crowding-in effects, nor in the effect of the gender group composition or beliefs' about followers' support. Further studies with larger sample sizes or different experimental designs could confirm these patterns.