- Online video gaming environment makes it possible to compare male and female approaches to competition, and the differences when those gender identities are known or concealed.
- Men are more likely to try harder if they know their opponent is female.
- Women don’t change their approach based on their opponent’s gender.
BALTIMORE, MD, May 4, 2023 – It is well understood that in the labor market there exists wage gaps between men and women, and in general, women had to fight to break the “glass ceiling” to get to upper management in the workplace. The causes of the gender gap could be multiple factors from discrimination to ability difference, and it is not easy to separate one from the other.
These questions were on the mind of researchers when they decided to use video game platforms to get some answers. They chose the online video gaming environment to do their research because you can be two dimensional there. When creating a character or avatar, you can use your birth sex, or you could conceal your gender and portray yourself virtually as the opposite sex.
In the end, the researchers found that men are more or less motivated by the knowledge of the gender of their competition, whereas women are not. Further, they found that this leads to poorer performance for women when competing against men unless they conceal their gender.
The study, “Does Concealing Gender Identity Help Women Win the Competition? An Empirical Investigation into Online Video Games,” is authored by Xinlei (Jack) Chen of the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance; Xiaohua Zeng of Peking University HSBC Business School; and Cheng Zhang of the Fudan School of Management in Shanghai.
“Given the competitive nature of video games, we wanted to explore the similarities and differences between the aggressiveness of men versus women,” says Chen. “Common stereotypes assume that men tend to be more aggressive, while women are more passive, and that in a competitive environment, men would strive more for dominance while women would not. This is the ‘dominance effect.’”
“Through our research, we found that women did perform better when they actively concealed their gender identities in online video games,” says Chen. “To understand these findings, you have to know that online video games can be a toxic environment for women. According to a Pew Research Center survey on online harassment in 2014, compared with male players, female players experience more severe harassment, such as stalking, sexual harassment and sustained bullying.”
The researchers said that this has caused women to quit playing online video games. For those who stayed, by muting their voices and concealing their identity, they were able to play under ambiguous or male names, and ultimately perform on a par with or better than their male counterparts.
“To analyze competitive performance, we had to examine the dominance effect among players of online video games,” says Chen. “When men perceive their opponent as female, they tend to exert increased effort in competition, while women seem unaffected by their opponent’s gender.”
In the end, the researchers confirmed that gender stereotype arises during interpersonal competition and does affect the outcome of the competition.
“It’s important to note that the reason for this is not that women are submissive, but rather, when men perceive their opponent to be female, they are more likely to exert increased effort than they would if they perceive their competitor to be a man,” adds Chen. “Women don’t change their approach regardless. So, by concealing their gender, they gain an advantage simply by the neutralizing effect such knowledge has on their opponent.”
The study authors conducted extensive empirical research to arrive at their findings.
Link to Study
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Method of Research
Subject of Research
“Does Concealing Gender Identity Help Women Win the Competition? An Empirical Investigation into Online Video Games”
- mazingira ya michezo ya video mtandaoni inafanya iwezekane kulinganisha mbinu za kiume na za kike kwa ushindani, na tofauti wakati utambulisho huo wa kijinsia unajulikana au kufichwa. - Wanaume wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kujaribu zaidi ikiwa wanajua mpinzani wao ni mwanamke. - Wanawake haibadili mbinu yao kulingana na jinsia ya mpinzani wao. BALTIMORE, MD, Mei 4, 2023 - Inaeleweka vizuri kwamba katika soko la kazi kuna tofauti za mshahara kati ya wanaume na wanawake, na kwa ujumla, wanawake walilazimika kupigana kuvunja "safu ya kioo" kupata usimamizi wa juu mahali pa kazi. Sababu za tofauti za jinsia zinaweza kuwa sababu nyingi kutoka kwa ubaguzi hadi tofauti ya uwezo, na sio rahisi kutenganisha moja kutoka kwa nyingine. Maswali haya yalikuwa katika akili ya watafiti walipoamua kutumia majukwaa ya michezo ya video kupata majibu. Wamechagua mazingira ya michezo ya video mtandaoni kufanya utafiti wao kwa sababu unaweza kuwa mbili-dimensional huko. Wakati wa kuunda tabia au avatar, unaweza kutumia jinsia yako ya kuzaliwa, au unaweza kuficha jinsia yako na kujielezea kama jinsia tofauti. Watafiti walipata kwamba wanaume wanachochewa na kujua jinsia ya washindani wao, lakini wanawake hawana. Pia, walipata kwamba hii inaongoza kwa utendaji duni kwa wanawake wakati wa kushindana na wanaume isipokuwa wao kuficha jinsia yao. Utafiti huo, <unk>Je, kuficha utambulisho wa kijinsia husaidia wanawake kushinda mashindano? An Empirical Investigation into Online Video Games, ni mwandishi wa Xinlei (Jack) Chen wa Taasisi ya Juu ya Fedha ya Shanghai; Xiaohua Zeng wa Chuo Kikuu cha Peking HSBC Business School; na Cheng Zhang wa Shule ya Usimamizi ya Fudan huko Shanghai. "Kwa kuzingatia asili ya ushindani wa michezo ya video, tulitaka kuchunguza kufanana na tofauti kati ya unyanyasaji wa wanaume dhidi ya wanawake", anasema Chen. <unk>Mifano ya kawaida inadhani kwamba wanaume huwa na uhasama zaidi, wakati wanawake ni zaidi ya kushindwa, na kwamba katika mazingira ya ushindani, wanaume wangejitahidi zaidi kwa utawala wakati wanawake hawangefanya hivyo. "Kwa njia ya utafiti wetu, tuligundua kuwa wanawake walifanya vizuri zaidi wakati walificha utambulisho wao wa kijinsia katika michezo ya video mtandaoni, ""Chen anasema." <unk>Kuelewa matokeo haya, lazima ujue kwamba michezo ya video mtandaoni inaweza kuwa mazingira yenye sumu kwa wanawake. Kulingana na utafiti wa Pew Research Center juu ya unyanyasaji wa mtandaoni mnamo 2014, ikilinganishwa na wachezaji wa kiume, wachezaji wa kike wanakabiliwa na unyanyasaji mkubwa zaidi, kama vile kusumbuliwa, unyanyasaji wa kingono na unyanyasaji wa kuendelea. Kwa wale waliobaki, kwa kuzima sauti zao na kuficha utambulisho wao, waliweza kucheza chini ya majina ya kiume au ya kiume, na hatimaye kufanya sawa na au bora kuliko wenzao wa kiume. "Kuchambua utendaji wa ushindani, tulilazimika kuchunguza athari ya kutawala kati ya wachezaji wa michezo ya video mtandaoni", anasema Chen. "Wanaume wanapoona mpinzani wao kuwa mwanamke, huwa na bidii zaidi katika mashindano, wakati wanawake wanaonekana hawaathiriwi na jinsia ya mpinzani wao. ""Mwishowe, watafiti walithibitisha kwamba stereotype ya kijinsia hutokea wakati wa mashindano ya kati ya watu na huathiri matokeo ya mashindano." "Ni muhimu kutambua kwamba sababu ya hii si kwamba wanawake ni wanyenyekevu, lakini badala yake, wakati wanaume wanaona mpinzani wao kuwa mwanamke, wao ni zaidi ya uwezekano wa kufanya juhudi zaidi kuliko wao ingekuwa kama wao kuona mshindani wao kuwa mtu, "" Chen anaongeza." "Wanawake haibadili mbinu yao bila kujali". Kwa hivyo, kwa kuficha jinsia yao, wanapata faida kwa sababu tu ya athari ya kutofautisha maarifa kama hayo kwa mpinzani wao. <unk> Waandishi wa utafiti walifanya utafiti mkubwa wa kihistoria kufikia matokeo yao. Utafiti wa Uuzaji wa Uuzaji ni jarida la kwanza la uuzaji la kitaaluma lililokaguliwa na wenzao, lililolenga utafiti kwa kutumia mbinu za kiasi ili kusoma mambo yote ya kiunganishi kati ya watumiaji na makampuni. Inatolewa na INFORMS, shirika la kimataifa la kuongoza kwa ajili ya uamuzi na sayansi ya data. Maelezo zaidi yanapatikana kwenye www.informs.org au @informs. #Mafunzo ya utafiti: Je, kuficha utambulisho wa kijinsia husaidia wanawake kushinda mashindano? Uchunguzi wa Uzoefu juu ya Michezo ya Video ya Mtandao