Epistemic Discrimination against Women: Experimental Evidence from India

Abstract

We use a series of controlled experiments, where we manipulate the information that men and women have, to investigate discrimination against women as sources of knowledge---epistemic discrimination---in ordinary daily life in rural north India. The experiments entail three testimonial encounters between women and men: over food choice within the household, over a causal judgment between couples, and over a conflict within the community. The experiments examine various dimensions of credibility—observing, reasoning, and synthesizing. We show that women, despite having the same level of knowledge, are less able to transmit the information than men. These results provide insights into the underpinning of woman’s difficulty in communicating ideas, defending herself against violence, exercising authority, and making contracts.

Keywords: Gender, Voice, Discrimination, Field experiment

JEL Classification: J16, O12, C93