Gender Differences in the Dictator Experiment: Evidence from the Matrilineal Mosuo and the Patriarchal Yi

Abstract

In this study, we report experimental results on the dictator decision collected in two neighboring ethnic minority groups, the matrilineal Mosuo and the patriachal Yi, in Yunnan province in southwestern China. We follow the same double-blind protocol as Eckel and Grossman (1998), who find that women in the U.S. donate more than men. We find this pattern reversed in the Mosuo society and find no gender difference in the Yi society. This is highly suggestive that societal factors play an important role in shaping the gender differences in pro-social behavior such as dictator giving.

Keywords: Gender difference, dictator game, matrilineal and patriarchal societies, field study, experiment

JEL Classification: C93