Kinship structure, stress, and the gender gap in competition

While women generally prefer to compete less than men, cultural practices and physiological responses to competition may affect willingness to compete. I examine how kinship structure and stress affect the gender gap in willingness to compete in a lab experiment among individuals from 27 ethnic groups along the matrilineal belt in Central Africa. I find no evidence that matrilineal kinship relative to patrilineal kinship closes the gender gap in competition: 80% of men and 60% of women choose to compete with no differential effect across kinship systems. Using physiological data, I find that women who experience greater stress during competition are less likely to choose to compete.