Are Women Held to Higher Standards? Evidence from Peer Review*
Publication type
journal article
Publication date
2022
Author(s)
Hengel, Erin
Language
English
View point(s)
Global
Peer Review System
Discipline(s)
Abstract
Female authors are underrepresented in top economics journals. In this paper, I investigate whether higher writing standards contribute to the problem. I find: (i) female-authored papers are 1–6 percent better written than equivalent papers by men; (ii) the gap widens during peer review; (iii) women improve their writing as they publish more papers (but men do not); (iv) female-authored papers take longer under review. Using a subjective expected utility framework, I argue that higher writing standards for women are consistent with these stylised facts. A counterfactual analysis suggests senior female economists may, as a result, write at least five percent more clearly than they otherwise would. As a final exercise, I show tentative evidence that women adapt to biased treatment in ways that may disguise it as voluntary choice.
Journal
The Economic Journal
ISSN
0013-0133
Volume
132
Issue
648
Pagination
2951-2991