Gender Differences in Committee Decision-Making

Abstract

Theories of gender difference suggest that women and men are motivated by different concerns when participating in allocative decision-making processes such as those engaged in by legislative committees. Using a game theoretic experimental design which simulates an allocative decision-making process, this study seeks to identify how women's distinctiveness affects both the process and outputs of committee decision-making. In this design, participants negotiate an outcome with other members of a group and, through majority rule, arrive at a group decision. Following the experiment, participants complete a brief survey instrument. The results show that women are more likely than men to report being motivated by altruistic concerns and to have a preference for a universalistic solution. Men are more likely than women to report being motivated by self-interest and to have a preference for a competitive solution. The increased presence of women in decision-making groups results in a significant impact on both the process and outputs of committee decision-making.

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