Posted on 05/24/2005 12:48:37 PM PDT by neverdem
Suppose you could eliminate the factors often blamed for the shortage of women in high-paying jobs. Suppose that promotions and raises did not depend on pleasing sexist male bosses or putting in long nights and weekends away from home. Would women make as much as men?
Economists recently tried to find out in an experiment in Pittsburgh by paying men and women to add up five numbers in their heads. At first they worked individually, doing as many sums as they could in five minutes and receiving 50 cents for each correct answer. Then they competed in four-person tournaments, with the winner getting $2 per correct answer and the losers getting nothing.
On average, the women made as much as the men under either system. But when they were offered a choice for the next round - take the piece rate or compete in a tournament - most women declined to compete, even the ones who had done the best in the earlier rounds. Most men chose the tournament, even the ones who had done the worst.
The men's eagerness partly stemmed from overconfidence, because on average men rated their ability more highly than the women rated theirs. But interviews and further experiments convinced the researchers, Muriel Niederle of Stanford and Lise Vesterlund of the University of Pittsburgh, that the gender gap wasn't due mainly to women's insecurities about their abilities. It was due to different appetites for competition.
"Even in tasks where they do well, women seem to shy away from competition, whereas men seem to enjoy it too much," Professor Niederle said. "The men who weren't good at this task lost a little money by choosing to compete, and the really good women passed up a lot of money by not entering tournaments they would have won."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"Wooo-HOOO!"
No risk, no gain. Capitalism rewards (and punishes) risk, with its highest payout. Makes sense though, doesent it?
Um ... bless your heart.
And their feet rubbed...
We have a winner. This is one of the few things I absolutely require of my boyfriend. It's essential. Chocolate I can hunt for myself, but to have my feet rubbed...ahhhhhhh.....
As a homeschooler, we have what we call the Madonna principle. Madonna's product is essentially worthless, and the product of say an ER nurse is absolutely vital. However, the market is such that Madonna can sell her product to several million people a year, and the ER nurse, while more valuable, can only sell her product to several hundred to a couple thousand people a year. It's not that we value Madonna more, it's that her market is such that even at next to no value, it makes her gazillions.
You know, that's an interesting perspective and one I hadn't considered. Sheer size of the market does make a difference.
the small lump of anthracite lodged in me bosom thanks 'ee
helps if he has some knowledge of primary sensory nerve routing, doesn't it?
I mean, you do know the route the nerve endings take en-route between your sacro-lumbar spine and the web of your big toe, right?
"Uncalled for sexist question here, but why is it that (in my experience) the vast majority of nurses are way over weight?"
Well you know how those trim, shapely looking nurses look in their uniforms? They got latched onto.
OMG, you must know my girlfriend.
"Suppose you could eliminate the factors often blamed for the shortage of women in high-paying jobs"
Suppose we could clone Ronald Reagan tomorrow.
Suppose we could end world hunger with a "send" button....
Suppose women didn't get pregnant.....
" Well, if you don't know what you did, I'm certainly not going to tell you"
"OMG, you must know my girlfriend."
I HOPE you're kidding. If not...RUN!
That's hilarious! I noticed that before the nozzle hanging out.
Women are better at manipulating people.
Men are more competitive than women, therefore the study is not surprising.
It is much simplier than what you state.
"Barriers to entry" are the reason for the pay discrepancy between doctors and teachers.
Anybody can be a teacher, subsequently there is a large supply of potential teachers willing to replace current teachers who are not willing to teach at the prevailing wage rate.
The converse is true for doctors.
: )......on a lighter note, premium gasoline was retailing
for $ 3.09 per gallon today at the Union 76 station in Malibu, California. As I drove by, I couldn't help but surmise that this was an outright attempt to gouge multimillionaires like Warren Beatty, Martin Sheen, and Burt Bachrach.
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