ICES Seminar in Experimental Economics and Game Theory
The Invisible Hand of Politics
Friday, February 27, 2026 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
Vernon Smith Hall (formerly Metropolitan Building), 5183
The ICES Seminar in Experimental Economics and Game Theory of the Spring 2026 semester will feature:
University of Michigan
Gender Views: A Restricted Path for Men and Mission Impossible for Women
Abstract
This paper comprehensively investigates how people expect men and women to be viewed when they do, or do not, engage in behaviors that are relevant for labor market outcomes. There is a near universal belief that men will be praised and not criticized when they are confident, assertive, ambitious, competitive, leaders, risk-taking, keen to negotiate, and willing to self-promote. But, when they do not engage in these behaviors, many people expect men to receive criticism and nearly all expect men not to be praised. Men thus face a restricted path: men have one—and only one—path that is expected to result in praise and avoid criticism. By contrast, women who pursue the behavior that is expected to yield the most praise for them also results in ample criticism. Women even fare worse when only considering expected praise: any behavior women pursue is expected to secure less praise than men’s most praiseworthy behavior. We thus say women face a mission impossible: there is no clear path to success when considering expected praise and criticism. Additional results provide important insights when considering societal views held by different groups of people and when considering socially-oriented traits.
For more information about the Seminar Series, please visit the Seminar Schedule homepage.
