Gender equivalence in overconfidence A large-scale experimental study in a non-WEIRD country

This study examines gender differences in overconfidence, focusing on overestimation (individuals’ perception of their performance relative to their actual performance) and overplacement (individuals’ perception relative to the performance perception of others). Conducting large-scale lab experiments with over 1000 participants in Ghana, a non-WEIRD country, we measure overestimation and overplacement in an incentivized manner. Contrary to previous findings, our study reveals no significant gender differences in overestimation in a male-typed task where men outperform women and subjects anticipate this gender difference. Similarly, there are no significant gender differences in overplacement within the same gender. Moreover, individuals who overestimate their performance are more likely to believe they outperformed others, regardless of gender. Overall, results indicate gender equivalence in overconfidence. Notably, gender differences in overplacement emerge only when comparing performance estimates with the opposite gender, with women more inclined to view themselves as inferior to men.