Gender, self-confidence, sports, and preferences for competition

Gender differences in the willingness to compete may explain the small percentage of women in top-level positions in business, science, or politics. This research examines with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) the conditions, including gender, that relate to competition preferences and the different paths that may lead to a decision to enter competition. The results of the economic experiment show that no single condition but combinations of characteristics explain preferences for competition. Furthermore, results show that experience in competitive sports relates to a higher self-confidence and increases the willingness to enter in competitive systems. Interestingly, one of the causal paths leading to enter competition is being a risk-averse woman with experience in competitive sports. These results provide insights to guide policy interventions to reduce the gender gap in preferences for competition and, therefore, to rise the percentage of women in top-level positions.