The importance of being confident; gender, career choice, and willingness to compete

► Gender differences in willingness to compete are explained by three measures of confidence, with expected ranking the most important. ► Isolating different careers, male and female STEM students are equally willing to compete. ► Differences in confidence among students in humanities and social sciences explain gender differences in willingness to compete. ► For students in business, men compete more than women even after accounting for risk aversion and confidence. ► Men in business exhibit the highest tournament entry and the largest performance response to competition.