Gender gaps in the evaluation of research: evidence from submissions to economics conferences (Updated February 2020)
Series: Working Papers. 1918.
Author: Laura Hospido and Carlos Sanz.
Published in: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. Volume 83, Issue 3, Jun 2021, pp 590-618
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Abstract
We study gender differences in the evaluation of submissions to economics conferences.
Using data from the Annual Congress of the European Economic Association (2015-2017),
the Annual Meeting of the Spanish Economic Association (2012-2017), and the Spring
Meeting of Young Economists (2017), we find that all-female-authored papers are 3.3 p.p.
(6.8%) less likely to be accepted than all-male-authored papers. This gap is present after
controlling for number of authors of the paper; referee fixed effects; field; cites of the
paper; authors’ previous publication record, affiliations, and experience; and connections
between the authors of a given paper and the referees that evaluate it. We provide evidence
suggesting that the gap is driven by stereotypes against female authors: it is entirely driven
by male referees, only exists for lesser-known authors, and seems larger in more masculine
fields, especially in finance.